Joseff, Prince of Dreams
by HAFanForever
Summary: A series about the birth and early babyhood of Kristoff and Anna's first child, Prince Joseff. Joseff belongs to NightLiight, and the cover image is her artwork "A Quiet Morning."
1. A Prince is Born

It was well into the middle of the night, or early morning, in the kingdom of Arendelle. The Northern Lights were shining brightly in the sky, while the residents of the castle were sleeping peacefully. One of these was the very pregnant, soon-to-be mother, Princess Anna.

In her bed with Kristoff, Anna was sleeping on her back, since her pregnancy no longer allowed her to comfortably sleep on her stomach or even her sides. She was almost forty weeks into her pregnancy, and for almost an entire week now, she was growing more anxious and excited to see if anything would unexpectedly happen to let her know that the baby was on its way.

Of course, this also made Elsa and Kristoff stay much more on their toes in keeping an eye on Anna's well-being. While she knew they meant well, they were driving Anna crazy if they stayed with her for almost a whole day and kept an extremely close eye on her, like she were a bomb about to explode.

In all, Anna couldn't wait for all of this to be over, but she was still feeling a lot of excitement about her baby coming at last.

All of a sudden, Anna widely opened her eyes and sat up. She gasped loudly and started inhaling and exhaling sharply, like she was trying to make it through a throbbing pain. Once she was wide awake, she realized just what was happening.

"Kristoff," she gasped again sharply. Luckily, Kristoff was not in a very deep sleep, so her rapid breathing was able to wake him up very quickly.

"What's wrong, Anna?"

Between breaths, Anna managed to say, "I feel a sharp pain in my stomach. I think this is it!"

That being said, Anna got Kristoff's full attention. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Anna answered, almost as a shout. "Go wake up Elsa; we need her to help wake up the rest of the staff."

Not wanting to waste a second to make sure Anna was going to have the best of care, Kristoff jumped out of the bed and ran down the hall to Elsa's room. Although he felt that this was not something he would do otherwise, he ran into her room without knocking first and approached Elsa at her bed. He didn't want to be rough, but he started to shake her lightly so that she would wake up.

"Elsa? Wake up. Wake up!"

Trying to stir out of her slumber, Elsa sleepily sat up. "What is it, Kristoff?" she asked, trying not to act as grumpy as she was feeling.

"Anna's awake and feeling stomach pains. She thinks she's in labor."

Upon hearing about her sister, Elsa's eyes opened wide. She immediately shook away her tiredness and grabbed her robe after she stepped out of her bed. "Thank you for telling me, Kristoff." As they walked outside of her room, she finished, "I'll go alert the staff, you just go back and stay with Anna right now."

"All right." Before he went back into his and Anna's room, Kristoff did a silent cheer to himself. _I can't believe it's really happening now!_ he thought. _By this time tomorrow, I'm going to be a father!_

When he went back to his room, he saw Anna lying out on the bed. She was still taking deep breaths in order to withstand the pains that were caused being by contractions.

"I told Elsa, and she's going around, alerting the staff, who are also helping to spread the word."

"Good. I wanna get this over with, and the sooner the better. I don't think I've ever felt pain like this before in my life." She paused, then she smiled up at Kristoff, who was standing right on her side. "But just think…we're about to see the first baby that we created together." Tears started to fall down her face. "I love you so much, Kristoff."

"I love you so much, too, Anna," Kristoff said. He leaned down to kiss her, and they kissed very passionately.

Almost immediately after they finished, Elsa rushed in, followed by the head nurse and a few other nurses. She raced over to Anna, asking in a concerned sisterly way, "Anna, are you all right?"

"I feel wonderful and horrible at the same time," Anna answered, trying to smile.

Elsa could only smile back. She stroked her little sister's forehead and took one of Anna's hands in her own. "Don't worry, you're a tough fighter; you'll get through this."

"Princess Anna?" the head nurse said. "We need to help you prepare for the labor, so you'll have to put on this white gown." She held up the said gown to show Anna. "And I'm afraid your husband is going to have to leave the room while we help you deliver the baby."

"What?!" Kristoff and Anna exclaimed simultaneously.

Anna suddenly felt scared. "Why does he have to leave?"

"There isn't going to be a lot of room for all of us in here based on all that we have to do in preparing to help you deliver the baby." Then she turned to Kristoff. "You also might not be very comfortable watching her during the birth process."

"I don't care! I am going to stay right here with my wife!"

"Kristoff," Elsa interrupted, "you have to do what they say. Don't worry; I'll stay with Anna and make sure she gets the best of care during the labor." She smiled at her brother-in-law. "Why don't you go to one of the other rooms and go back to sleep? The labor is going to take a few hours, so waiting might make you bored."

"HOURS?!" Anna yelled, loud enough for the whole palace to hear.

"All right," Kristoff sighed, knowing he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He and Anna kissed one more time to say their brief good-byes. Before he left the room, he glanced over at Anna one time. "Good luck, honey," he said as he smiled at her. Then he blew her a kiss, which she proceeded to "catch."

Once he was out of the room, Kristoff decided to pass some time by going to the stables and spending some time with Sven. He definitely wanted to tell his best friend that his baby was now on the way.

"Hey buddy? Sven, wake up!" he said once he came to Sven's pen in the stables.

The reindeer grunted in a way that said, "Why did you wake me up?" But as soon as he was on all fours, Kristoff exclaimed, "Sven, Anna is in labor! Our baby is coming!"

Sven obviously understood what Kristoff said, because he suddenly smiled widely and began jumping around excitedly. Kristoff responded by laughing and patting his head affectionately. Then a voice out of nowhere said, "What's this I hear about a baby coming?"

Kristoff looked further into Sven's pen, and saw Olaf there, of course, since he very often slept with Sven during the night. "Yes, Olaf! Anna is in labor, which means that the baby is going to come very soon."

"Hooray!" Olaf cried. "I can't wait to see your new little bundle of joy and make a new friend out of him or her! And just think, Sven, when the baby is big enough, he'll be able to ride you, too." These words made Sven act even more excited.

"Well, anyway, it's going to be a few hours until the baby arrives, and I couldn't stay in my room. So I guess I'll rest here with you two for a while, at least until the early hours in the morning. Of course, after sleeping in here, I'll probably have to clean up before I see the baby."

"Rest away, Kristoff," Olaf replied. So Kristoff took a blanket and laid down on the floor against some soft hay. Sven also laid back down in his pen, while Olaf cuddled up next to his reindeer friend. Before too long, all three friends were fast asleep.

* * *

Kristoff was literally so tired that he didn't notice he slept for seven hours by the time he woke up after 9:00 A.M. When he did, he stretched himself and looked around. Seeing the daylight from outside, he exclaimed, "Oh, jeez! I didn't think I would sleep so long!" He immediately stood up and brushed himself off, though he decided he had to go back inside and clean up before he saw Anna and their baby, if it had been born yet.

His commotion also caused Olaf and Sven to wake up. Once awake, Olaf immediately cried, "Has the baby come yet?!"

"I don't know. I slept in here the rest of the night, so there's a chance it could be. I have to go back inside and wash up. Come with me, Olaf. I'm sure Elsa and Anna want you to hear what's happened as well!"

"I'm coming!"

As Olaf ran towards the castle, Kristoff pulled out a carrot from a nearby bag in the stable and took a bite, then he offered it to Sven, who took a bite next. "See you later, buddy! I'll let you what happens once I know."

Sven made a face, which prompted Kristoff to say in his "Sven" voice: "Please do! I'm just as anxious as you are to hear about your new baby."

"I know you are. Don't worry, you be able to meet it soon enough." Kristoff patted Sven one more time before he ran to catch up with Olaf and go back inside the castle.

* * *

Once he raced back up to his and Anna's room, Kristoff almost immediately came face to face with Elsa. "How she is? Did the baby come yet?"

"Not yet. She's been in labor for almost eight hours, but we think it should arrive very soon."

"Well, I slept in the stables the rest of the night, so I need to wash up. Can I use your bathroom?"

"Of course. I'll get some fresh clothes from your closet and put them on my bed."

"Thank you, Elsa." Kristoff raced to Elsa's room and quickly shut the door before he ran into the bathroom to take a bath.

Once he was gone, Elsa went back into Anna's room. Poor Anna was in a state of much physical pain and exhaustion. Several times during the night, contractions would come and go, so she wanted to hold and squeeze something to try and get through the pain. A few times, she had held Elsa's hands for that purpose, and both of Elsa's hands were still red from the ordeal. Anna's forehead and hair was also drenched with sweat, so Elsa occasionally cooled her down with a washcloth that was wet and cold from her ice magic.

"How much longer?" Anna wailed.

The head nurse said, "I know this has been a difficult process, Princess Anna, but you are doing very well and we think that the baby will be delivered very soon."

"But how soon until that happens? I'm exhausted, and so far, breathing heavily and pushing with all of my might hasn't made the baby come out of my body! Why does labor have to be so painful?" she groaned and cried out in exasperation.

"Mama went through it twice when each of us was born, Anna," Elsa said once she returned from taking clothes to her bedroom for Kristoff." Imagine how much pain it is for mothers who give birth to MANY children during their lives!"

"Yeah, that must be hard," Anna said somewhat absent-mindedly as she laid back against her pillow and turned her head in the other direction. Suddenly, she felt another jolt of pain, so she grunted and pushed forward, as if it would cause the pain to stop.

"Oh, my goodness!" one of the other nurses gasped. "I think she's just about ready!"

The head nurse took a closer inspection at Anna. "Oh yes, I think so, too!" Turning to Anna, she exclaimed, "All right, Princess Anna! We believe we see what looks like the top of a head…so I think your baby is ready to leave your body!"

"YES!" Anna shouted while she threw one arm up in both excitement and relief. But that was quickly cut short when she felt the pain once again. She screamed and groaned loudly while the nurses were all abuzz with chatter.

"Yes, it's definitely the head!"

"Push harder, Princess Anna!"

"Push a little longer, then it'll be out!"

"I AM PUSHING!" Anna yelled. She was exasperated that the nurses were telling her what to do during all of her physical pain and exhaustion, not to mention she felt that they did not comprehend what she was going through.

Through the nurses' shouts, Elsa managed to say, "Hang tight, Anna! You're almost there."

"I know! But what more can I do? I've been pushing and pushing, but it's not helping!"

"It WILL help! You just have to keep at it. You can do it! You're not a pessimist or a quitter, Anna! Just keep trying!"

Elsa's words gave Anna the encouragement she desperately needed and wanted, so she firmly nodded her head. "All right, I will!" Giving it all of the energy she could muster, Anna stubbornly continued to push harder until she started to cry from the pain and felt she could do no more.

But just as she felt that she had to give up, she finally heard it: the crying of her and Kristoff's newborn baby!

The nurses all cooed and awed at the new baby once they saw it, while the head nurse took it in her arms. "Congratulations, Princess Anna! You have a beautiful little boy!"

Sitting straight up again, Anna continued to cry, but her tears were of happiness this time. She held out her arms as the newborn prince, who, by now, had stopped crying, was placed into his mother's arms. In between sobs, she asked Elsa, "Isn't he beautiful?"

Elsa had begun to cry her own tears of happiness as she looked down at her new nephew and carefully stroked his face. "The most beautiful baby I have ever seen!" Looking towards the door, she stated, "I have to go find Kristoff and tell him!"

* * *

Kristoff had been sitting on the floor across his room with Olaf since he took his bath. He had remained there for an hour, waiting until someone came to tell him any news. Just moments before, he could make out the sound of a baby's cry, and he immediately stood up from his spot to wait for someone to come and tell him. He was relieved when Elsa was the first person to step out of the room…before a couple of nurses quickly followed.

"Elsa?"

"Kristoff." Elsa took a few steps towards him before she said, "Would you…like to meet your son?"

Kristoff's eyes widened as much as they did when Anna surprised him with his new sled. Struggling to find words, he stuttered, "A-a son? I-I have a son?" Elsa smiled and nodded. Breathing heavily, Kristoff immediately began to feel his excitement. "Yes! Did you hear that, Olaf?! I have a boy! I have a son!" He and Elsa both laughed and hugged each other.

"Oh boy, it's a boy!" Olaf shouted in joy.

"Congratulations, Kristoff. Now come on, do you want to see him or not?"

"Of course I do!" That being said, Kristoff followed Elsa into his room. But the moment he saw Anna, he felt like he could no longer feel his legs. "Elsa? I can't feel my legs. Can you help me?"

Elsa gently pulled him over to the bed, where Anna was laying with the couple's son in her arms. She also picked up Olaf since he could not see from the floor. The little baby fussed a little bit, but he managed to calm down after he opened his eyes for the first time.

Kristoff began to breathe so rapidly to the point where he was hyperventilating, so he fell over backwards and was unconscious before he hit the floor.

"Kristoff!" Anna cried as she saw him fall, which got the attention of Elsa, Olaf, and the nurses.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Kristoff came back to consciousness and was sitting on his and Anna's bed. Once he was awake enough, he gasped, feeling pains in his head. "What happened to me?" he asked out loud, not knowing if anyone was still there.

"You fainted and hit your head after you saw the baby," a voice that belonged to Elsa said. He turned to his right side and saw her there with Olaf still in her arms. "Are you okay?"

Remembering what happened, he gasped. Panicking, he asked, "Where's the baby?"

"He's right here," Anna's voice said. Kristoff quickly turned to his left side and saw his wife holding their new baby in her arms.

Kristoff looked in awe at his new little boy, feeling like he was going to cry in joy. He brought one of his large fingers to his son's cheek and gently stroked it. The baby suddenly grabbed Kristoff's finger and put it in his mouth to try and suck it. This made his parents, Olaf, and aunt laugh.

"Wanna hold him, Kristoff?"

Kristoff was instantly concerned if such a thing was a good idea. "I-I don't know, Anna. I've never held a baby; I'm afraid I might drop it-"

"You won't drop him," Anna said before she gently handed the baby over to him. Kristoff was still extremely nervous when he finally had the baby in his arms. But the moment he looked down and noticed that the baby was looking right into his eyes, all of Kristoff's fear vanished and turned into love and wonder.

"So is this boy Prince Joseff?" Elsa asked.

Kristoff and Anna looked at each other, then answered simultaneously, "Yes."

Elsa moved Olaf towards Kristoff so he could get a good look at Joseff. "He is so cute. Hi, Joseff. I'm your new pal, Olaf the snowman. And I'm going to love you just as much as I love your parents and Aunt Elsa."

Everyone laughed at Olaf's words, and Joseff made a few gurgle noises that Olaf thought were potential giggles.

"Well, I'll leave you three alone now." Before she and Olaf left, Elsa bent down to look at Joseff one more time. Then she kissed his forehead as she whispered, "I love you, sweetie."

Once they were alone, Kristoff continued to hold Joseff lovingly and protectively in his arms, while Anna, who was still very tired from the labor, placed her hand on Kristoff's arm, as if to maintain physical contact with her family. Elsa had been right; she did do it all because she never gave up. It had all been a long and painful process to give birth to Joseff, but seeing where they all were right now told Anna that it was all worth it.

* * *

**And there you have it for another very anticipated story: the birth of Kristoff and Anna's first baby! So their baby is appropriately named Joseff, based on the artwork of xxMeMoRiEzxx and her OC's who are Kristoff and Anna's children. The story's cover image depicts the newborn Joseff with his parents, which is appropriate for this story.**

**This is the start of a new miniseries, and coming up will be a few more stories with Joseff and the early impact he has his on his new family. ;) And yes, **_**I Love Lucy**_** has still inspired me, namely with Kristoff fainting upon seeing his new baby, and you'll see a little more of that in a few of the upcoming chapters. :)**


	2. For the Love of a Prince

**Wow, I am very surprised at how much feedback this has gotten, and so fast, too! So I decided to post the next planned chapter of the miniseries, especially for today, since it's my birthday.**

**This chapter was inspired by one of my favorite **_**Frozen**_** stories "Love Will Thaw," by my favorite **_**Frozen**_** writer, Anysia. If you haven't read her stories, you must, especially the said story. :)**

* * *

Almost two days after Joseff, the newborn son of Kristoff and Anna, was born, Anna finally had the strength to get out of bed again. But even while she was both in and out of bed, she and Kristoff, who was not working as much due to the change in weather, had spent nearly all their time together taking care of Joseff. That included feeding him, bathing him, and changing him. Although he would sleep, he needed to be fed every couple of hours, and the couple would alternate between feeding times. When Anna had her shift, she would breastfeed Joseff, but when it was Kristoff's turn, she had breast milk ready in a bottle for Kristoff to feed to him.

Kristoff and Anna often bathed and changed Joseff together, though when it came to taking turns with the feeding, when one parent fed Joseff, the other one took time to get some sleep. But after the first couple of days, almost a week after the birth, the couple was so exhausted that they decided that they needed someone to babysit Joseff while they both took a nap at the same time for a few hours. And Anna knew just who to ask…

* * *

When Elsa saw her new baby nephew Joseff for the first time, she thought he was the most beautiful baby she had ever seen…apart from when she first saw baby Anna when Elsa herself was only three years old. She cried tears of happiness upon seeing the newest member of her family, and she even kissed his tiny head and told him that she loved him.

However, despite the happiness she felt, Elsa could not help feeling very afraid at the same time. Even though she knew that love was what allowed her to control her magic completely, it was natural for her to experience anger and fear, especially fear of harming others. That still made her even more afraid to be around those she loved, and the thought of how her magic could harm her precious baby nephew just about killed her. So much so, she wondered if being around him so much while he was this little was a very good idea.

During the past week since Joseff was born, Elsa had not seen him again since, and she hardly got to see Anna and Kristoff as well, particularly because they never joined her for meals anymore. In a way, Elsa was using this chance to purposely avoid seeing Joseff, too, due to her fear, and she sometimes kept her bedroom door closed. Anna had even only asked Elsa about twice if she would help her and Kristoff take care of Joseff, but Elsa declined by saying that she too busy with her queenly duties. When Elsa remembered both times of Anna asking her this, it made her wonder if Anna realized that she (Elsa) was avoiding Joseff…especially if she thought Anna walked by her (Elsa's) room the few times when she kept the door closed.

Although she was supposed to be going over some important documents, Elsa was sitting at her desk and in deep thought about what she was going to do about her fear. Even though it scared her a great deal, she still wanted to see Joseff and wanted to be an important part of his life as much as she could. While she was thinking about all of this, she heard the doorknob begin to turn, so she stood up to see who it was. When the door was opened entirely, she noticed Kristoff and Anna standing in the doorframe, and Anna was carrying Joseff in her arms.

Kristoff and Anna didn't wait for Elsa to say that they could come in, so they just walked straight into the room. Once they were in close proximity with Elsa, who noticed that they both looked very tired, Anna spoke up. "Elsa, we wouldn't bother you if it weren't absolutely necessary, but we need you to watch Joseff while Kristoff and I sleep for a few hours. We've taken shifts on getting sleep, but now we're both very exhausted, so Joseff needs to be watched by someone else while we sleep."

"I-I-I can't, Anna. I just can't do it!" Elsa cried in slight panic as she felt her eyes moisten.

Kristoff took Joseff from Anna while Anna went to comfort Elsa. "Yes, you can, Elsa. You're my sister, and I trust you out of anyone else besides Kristoff to watch my son. You know how to control your powers, and I know you won't hurt him."

"How? How do you know that, Anna? And how can you still place trust in me? I can't not feel fear or anger now and then; they're natural feelings! I love Joseff, and I can't bear the thought of hurting you by hurting him, even if it would be an accident."

"But that's your answer right there! You love Joseff, you just said so yourself, so if you just feel love when you're with him, then you won't hurt him at all!"

Elsa briefly pondered Anna's words, thinking just how much sense she made. Anna saw Elsa's face light up, so that made her face light up, too. But then Elsa closed her eyes and sighed sadly. "But there's always that chance of something bad happening, Anna." Her voice beginning to break, she finished, "I just want him to be safe from danger."

Now Anna was beginning to get teary. "Please don't do this again, Elsa. Don't start your relationship with Joseff by shutting him out. We lost our childhood together and never formed new memories because of what we had to lose. Please don't do that to Joseff, too. I want you to be there for him when he needs you. I want you to see him as he learns to walk and talk. I missed not having you as a part of my life as we grew up, and I don't want you to not be a part of Joseff's life as he grows up."

That did it for Elsa. She started to cry, but it was out of happiness and realization, because she knew that Anna was entirely right about everything she just said, so she (Elsa) couldn't object to Anna this time.

"Anna, you are so right! That is just what I want with Joseff since I lost that chance with you. This is a whole new beginning for me with our family. And I can start making memories right away!"

Anna was so thrilled at what Elsa just said that she started to cry herself, then the sisters reached out towards each other until they tightly hugged each other. Kristoff, who had been watching the whole time with Joseff in his arms, smiled at his wife and sister-in-law, then looked down at his son and gently ruffled his hair.

Once Elsa and Anna had pulled away from their hug, Elsa looked in Kristoff's direction. She gestured her hands towards herself, saying, "Give him here. Give him to me," which Kristoff knew she meant to give Joseff to her. So he gently placed the baby in Elsa's arms.

Elsa made sure she had a firm yet gentle grasp on Joseff. She looked down at his face, and his open eyes gazed up at her own. After a few moments, his mouth curled up into a smile, and he gurgled happily.

Seeing her nephew smile up at her only made Elsa smile widely, with some more tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Hello, sweetie. I'm your Aunt Elsa, and I love you so much." She leaned down and gently caressed her cheek against Joseff's, then reached down to one of his hands and he gently grabbed her finger.

Anna smiled and felt tears form in her eyes again as she watched the sweet interaction between her sister and son. Kristoff smiled, too, then slinked his arm around Anna and pulled her close to him. "Do you think you'll be okay with him now, Elsa?" he asked.

Still looking down at Joseff, Elsa briefly raised her head to answer, "I'm sure we'll be just fine."

"Well, I have his needed items out here, including his diapers and bassinet." Kristoff said before he went outside the room to bring them in. As he did, Anna said, "He ate a few minutes ago, so he should be good for a nap later…though he may need to be changed before then."

"You two go ahead and get some rest. You deserve it, after all."

The sisters smiled at each other, and Kristoff said, "Thanks so much, Elsa. We really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Now, go on, you have to sleep." She playfully waved her hand away to tell them to leave. "Go on, we'll be fine."

Kristoff and Anna took one last look at Elsa and Joseff and smiled. Once Kristoff closed the door behind him, Elsa looked down at Joseff. "So my little prince, do you want to sleep now? Or would you like me to sing to you?" She thought for a moment. "I'll sing to you."

_The snow glows white on the mountain tonight  
__Not a footprint to be seen…_

As Elsa continued to sing "Let It Go," Joseff continued to look at her, almost in wonder, which told Elsa that he liked the song. When he smiled at her again, Elsa took it to mean that he was enjoying it, so she continued to sing.

* * *

About four hours later, Kristoff and Anna finally woke up from their nap, feeling refreshed. Not completely, but enough so that they weren't so exhausted as they had been before they went to sleep.

"Let's go get Joseff now. He's probably hungry again."

"I hope Elsa made out well with him."

Anna smiled. "I'm sure things went fine, Kristoff, just like she said."

When they reached Elsa's room, they quietly opened the door…and what they saw surprised them very much: Elsa was sleeping on her bed, while right next to her bed was Joseff in his bassinet. And while both were asleep, Elsa had her left index finger down in the bassinet, where Joseff was still grasping it in his hand, like he didn't want to let go.

Kristoff and Anna quietly exchanged smiling glances, with Anna silently expressing how touched she was by the sight before her. Seeing how peaceful the two looked together as they slept, they decided to walk out of the room.

"Should we just let them sleep?" Anna asked once they were out of the room.

"Why not?" Kristoff answered. "We'll come back when they're both awake. Besides, they look so content together, and they need to spend some time together. So let's just let them be."

"Well…at least right now, it's still just you and me."

Kristoff and Anna chuckled, then he leaned down and lifted her off of her feet as he tenderly and passionately kissed her.


	3. Baby Bedtime Blues

Anna had just finished brushing her hair while sitting at her vanity and was now lovingly looking at her son in his crib. The three-week-old prince Joseff was lying on his back, fast asleep in his crib. The first few days after his birth had been exhausting in trying to care for Joseff. The couple was still taking shifts in caring for Joseff during the night, and now Elsa was occasionally pitching in to help them. Because it was winter, Kristoff was not working as much as before, so he was able to help Anna out more when she needed it.

But for the past almost-two weeks, Joseff had been crying more often than he had since the day of his birth. Whenever Kristoff and Anna did everything that they could to make him stop crying, they consulted Dr. Bonnevie, who believed that Joseff was suffering from colic, which Elsa had also suspected. Even though all three did their best to ease Joseff when he cried, he appeared to very often stop crying more when Anna comforted him. So during that time, she took it upon herself to look after Joseff more whenever he was crying.

This meant that Anna had barely had enough rest since Joseff started crying even more than before. Although Kristoff and Elsa did occasionally prefer to get more sleep, they were both becoming very concerned about Anna's lack of sleep. They both decided this very night to take Anna aside and tell her that she needed to sleep, so one of them would look after Joseff instead.

Noticing that their door was open, Elsa, who was outside, walked in just as Kristoff stepped out of the bathroom. Neither knew that Joseff was asleep, so when they both started talking, their voices were not at a shout volume, but louder than a whisper.

"Anna, we need to talk-"

"Anna, Elsa and I want to talk to you now-"

Anna was very startled by their sudden voices, so she tried to quiet them by whispering loudly, "Please!"

Immediately afterwards, Joseff started to briefly cry and gurgle. All three adults froze in their places and looked towards the crib. Luckily, the crying was very brief and stopped shortly after it started. Once Joseff was quiet again, Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff exhaled in relief.

"I'm sorry, honey-" Kristoff began before Anna grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room and into the hallway with Elsa.

Once the three were far away enough from the room, Anna turned to her sister and husband. "What is the matter with you two? Do you want Joseff to keep us all awake again tonight?"

"I'm sorry, honey," Kristoff apologized again.

"But that's exactly what Kristoff and I wanted to discuss with you," Elsa added.

Anna looked at them in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

"Look, Anna, I know you feel you have to take of Joseff all the time, but haven't you felt so exhausted lately? You really should get some rest tonight," Kristoff stated.

"But if he's crying again because he's colicky, I can calm him down."

"I'm happy that you are taking full responsibility for Joseff as his mother, Anna," Elsa said. "But even parents need breaks now and then. In a case like this, it doesn't hurt to put yourself first once in a while…especially if you really need some sleep!"

"But I love him so much, Elsa," Anna stated as if she was pleading with her sister. "I'm his mother, he needs me."

"Oh, Anna, just because you can't take care of him all the time doesn't mean you would love him any less." Elsa smiled and held Anna's face in her hands. Then she looked over to Kristoff. "It's in your nature as a mother to have this instinct, but don't forget, as the father, Kristoff needs to be with him, too."

"Look, Anna, I discussed this with Elsa earlier today, and she liked the idea I had."

"What idea?"

"I had a chair brought into our room. I'll sleep on that tonight, and Elsa can sleep in our bed with you. That way, if one of us hears Joseff during the night, she or I can get up with him…but you have to stay asleep."

Anna sighed, feeling defeated and exhausted. "All right, all right. I'll sleep tonight while one of you wakes up to be with Joseff."

"Good!" Elsa exclaimed. "Now let's get you to bed as well!"

* * *

By the time it was 2:30 A.M., Kristoff and Elsa were both in a deep sleep. But because of her usual habit of waking up many times during the night to feed Joseff, Anna was not in such a deep sleep.

Feeling a ray of light shining down on her, Anna opened her eyes and saw the Northern Lights up in the sky. She smiled, remembering how as a child, when she was woken up by them during the night, she would say that the sky was awake. Needing to use the restroom, she quietly stepped out of her bed, hoping to avoid waking up Elsa and Kristoff.

But once she was about to climb back into bed, she thought she heard what sounded like a faint cry. Again, she silently walked over to the crib, looked in, and saw that, yes, Joseff was stirring slightly. He opened his eyes and began to fuss a little more, so Anna reached her hand down into the crib and stroked his face.

"Shhh, shhh!" she whispered. "Mommy's here, honey. It's all right."

Despite saying words of comfort to Joseff, who gradually managed to stop crying and fall back asleep, Anna ultimately succumbed to her exhaustion and soon fell asleep, too.

* * *

The next morning, Kristoff was woken up due to the bright sunlight outside. He stood up and stretched himself; sitting and sleeping in the chair wasn't comfortable, but he had somehow managed to do it. Once he shook his tiredness away and opened his eyes completely, he froze and gasped at what he saw before him: Anna was still standing over the crib and had fallen asleep there!

Trying to hold back a laugh, he gently shook Elsa, who was still asleep in the bed. "Elsa? Elsa, wake up."

So Elsa tiredly opened her eyes and sat up. "What's the matter, Kristoff?"

"Look!" he said, pointing in Anna's direction.

When Elsa looked where Kristoff said, her eyes also widened and she gasped, "Anna!"

She and Kristoff walked over to the crib while trying to keep from laughing. Once they were there, Kristoff gently shook Anna. "Anna, wake up!"

Anna immediately raised her head slightly once she felt Kristoff shake her. "Huh? What's the matter? Joseff cry? Don't worry, I'll get him."

"No, Anna, it's morning," Elsa said. "Straighten up!"

Anna was more awake now, but could barely move her head. "Oh! I can't!" she groaned. "Lower the side of the crib."

Kristoff and Elsa lowered the side from both of its ends. Once it was down, Anna stepped away, but she was hunched over so much and so tired that she still couldn't lift up her head. "What time is it?" she asked.

"It's almost 10:00," Elsa answered.

"Oh, man, I better get the bottles of prepared milk for Joseff's next feeding!"

Anna started to walk over to her closet while she was still hunched over. But before she could get very far, Elsa and Kristoff started to run after her. "Anna, wait!" Kristoff cried. Once he caught up with her, he picked Anna up. Since he was very strong, he had no problem doing it.

"Look, Anna," Elsa began, "we can take care of feeding Joseff if you have bottles prearranged. You have to get some rest." She paused before she asked, "Why didn't you stay asleep last night?"

As Kristoff set her in the bed, Anna answered, "I had to use the restroom during the night and he started crying a little after I woke up. So…I went to him."

Kristoff groaned and hid his face in one of his hands. "Well, tonight we're going to make sure you go to bed really early."

Elsa added, "But before we do, we're going to have to sit down and discuss these arrangements more carefully so that all of us can catch up on getting enough sleep."

"Don't worry about me," Anna said. "I'll be fine. All I need is a little sleep. All I ask-" She was cut off from the last word moments after she said it because right then and there, Anna, who had still been feeling so exhausted after waking up over the crib, had instantly fallen asleep.

Seeing this, Kristoff and Elsa comfortably adjusted Anna into the bed and pulled up the covers. Kristoff gently kissed Anna's cheek, then Elsa gently kissed her little sister's forehead. Then they quietly walked out of the room and shut the door behind them.

"I was gonna try to go and harvest some new blocks of ice to preserve food here in the castle. But if you want, I can stay home today…"

"No, you go ahead, Kristoff." She smiled in an assuring manner. "Until Anna wakes up, I'll look after Joseff."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. And I want to look after him, too."

With that said, Kristoff went back into his room to get ready for the day. Once he was done, he gently lifted Joseff out of his crib and put him in Elsa's arms. Then he brought the crib over to Elsa's room, and Joseff was put back into it. Through it all, the little prince stayed sound asleep, just like his mother was doing now.

* * *

**Once again, I am very pleased at how feedback this story has gotten so fast! Here is another one, again based on **_**I Love Lucy**_**. Now I have a couple more chapters written for this miniseries, but I need some more ideas. I'm setting this up until maybe Joseff learns to talk, so even any small ideas you might have, from when Joseff first gets sick to any kind of special bonding he has with his parents, please share your ideas and I will try to write them. ;)**


	4. A Royal Baptism

By the time Joseff was a month old, Kristoff and Anna decided it was time for him to be christened, or baptized. Of course, they named Elsa as his godmother, and she would be his only godparent.

A party was scheduled to be held on the same day as the christening. The people of Arendelle and visitors from its neighboring kingdoms would arrive at the palace first, where Elsa would introduce them to the new prince. Then they would proceed to the chapel where Joseff's christening would take place. After that, the succeeding party would take place back at the palace.

The day for the baptism and party finally arrived on December 12th. As crowds of people gathered out in the village square, Anna and Kristoff were in their room, finishing getting ready with themselves and with Joseff. Both were dressed in their usual party attire, while Joseff was wearing a light blue and white bodysuit that babies were supposed to wear for a baptism. They also had a bonnet for him to wear as well, and he also had white socks on his tiny feet.

Once they were all dressed, the couple and their son went to find Elsa. The plan they had for when the guests arrived was for Elsa to come to the entrance hall in the castle where she would announce the names of her family. That would signal for Kristoff and Anna to walk into the room with Joseff and show him to the crowd.

They found Elsa waiting in the hall for them almost immediately after they walked out of their room. While Kristoff held Joseff in his arms, Anna rushed over to her big sister to give her a hug. Kristoff and Joseff joined them, and he gave Elsa a one armed hug, then Elsa bent down to kiss her nephew's head.

When they finally got downstairs, Elsa motioned to her family. "Stay right here," she told them. "I'll call on you very soon."

"Okay, Elsa," Anna, who was now holding Joseff, said, while Kristoff nodded. Before she walked away, Elsa once more gazed lovingly down at Joseff and stroked his face. He was awake, so he looked up at her and smiled widely.

Kai was waiting for the family, so when he saw Elsa, she nodded to him, which told him that she wanted him to announce her title to the guests now. As she waited off to the side, Kai made his way through the room to get some space, since by now, all of the guests were crowded inside of the entrance.

"Everyone!" he shouted. "May I have your attention, please?" Everyone turned in his direction, and the room immediately went silent. "Thank you, and welcome once more to Arendelle's palace." Gesturing with his left hand in Elsa's direction, he added, "And now everyone, Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" Everyone in the room immediately started clapping when the queen made her entrance.

Elsa walked slowly and punctually into the room and turned to face everyone once she had stopped walking. "Thank you, Kai. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming. It is always a happy occasion to celebrate the birth of a new baby in a family, especially when one is born into monarchy. And that's exactly what we want to present to you today." Like Kai did before her, Elsa gestured her left hand over to the side where Kristoff, Anna, and Joseff were waiting. "Everyone, I would like all of you to give a warm welcome to my sister, Princess Anna, my brother-in-law, Sir Kristoff Bjorgman, and their new son, my new nephew, Prince Joseff of Arendelle!"

Having heard their names announced, along with the accompanying applause, that cued Kristoff and Anna to make their entrance. Anna continued to hold Joseff, while Kristoff was beside her on her left side, with his hand on her shoulder. Almost immediately after they started walking in, the guests approached the couple, and they started talking amongst themselves and indirectly to the couple about their baby. Being the aunt, Elsa got some congratulatory comments of her own as well.

"Princess Anna, he is absolutely beautiful!"

"Sir Kristoff, he is very adorable!"

"Congratulations on your nephew, your Majesty!"

"You must be very proud of your sister, Queen Elsa!"

Amongst the chatter, at one point, Anna approached Elsa about her holding Joseff. Although she was initially hesitant, Elsa just remembered about how much she loved Joseff, so she smiled widely and gently grasped Joseff when Anna placed him in her arms.

The crowding around the royal family went on for almost twenty minutes when Elsa decided it was time proceed over to the chapel for Joseff's christening. She gave Joseff back to Anna and made her way out of the crowd so she could be seen. "Your attention, please?" she said loudly. "Since you have now seen the new prince, I would like for all of us to proceed over to the chapel for his christening."

Once Elsa finished speaking, all of the guests headed out of the castle and to the chapel. Before too long, only Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Joseff remained in the castle. Making sure there weren't so many people outside that would crowd them once they made their way outside, the family then headed over to the chapel themselves.

* * *

Over the next hour, a mass took place in Arendelle's chapel that eventually led up to Joseff's baptism. It included an opening hymn, the liturgy of the word, a responsorial psalm, and a gospel reading. Some time after the reading of the gospel, it was time for the actual baptism.

Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff stood in front of the baptismal font along with the bishop near the main part of the chapel's interior. The bishop started with the lines, "Is it your will that Prince Joseff should be baptized in the faith of the Church, which we have all professed with you?"

Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa all answered, "It is."

Then the bishop progressed to the actual baptism as he poured water onto Joseff's head while Anna held him over the font. "Prince Joseff, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Anna and Kristoff were especially concerned that Joseff would start crying and make a big fuss once the actual baptism occurred. But even as the bishop poured water on his head three times, Joseff never once made a sound.

When he was finished, the bishop continued, "God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin, given you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and welcomed you into his holy people. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life."

"Amen," everyone in the chapel answered in union, including the family.

Afterwards, a few more readings and songs took place before the ceremony was finally about to end. The bishop announced the lines for the conclusion of the rite: "My dear friends, Prince Joseff has been reborn in baptism. He is now called a child of God, for so indeed he is.

In the name of this child, in the Spirit of our common childship, let us pray together in the words our Lord has given us."

Everyone in the chapel began with "Our Father," while the bishop continued, "May God the almighty Father, who filled the world with joy by giving us his only Son, bless this newly-baptized child. May he grow to be more fully like Jesus Christ, our Lord." This cued for everyone to finish by saying, "Amen."

The bishop then said the blessing of the parents. "May almighty God, who gives life on earth and in heaven, bless the parents, Princess Anna of Arendelle and Sir Kristoff Bjorgman. They thank God now for the gift he has given them. May they always show that gratitude in action by loving and caring for their child."

"Amen," everyone said in union.

The bishop concluded at last with the final blessing. "May almighty God, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, generously bless all of us who are his faithful children. May we always live as his people, and May God bless all here present with his peace.

"Amen."

The last step for the entire mass was the final hymn. Once that was over, everyone left the chapel and headed back to the palace for the scheduled after-party.

* * *

**Yet again, thank you all for the feedback for the previous chapter! With this chapter, I picked up many of the lines from an actual baptism program I located online (though I don't remember exactly how to find it now). I don't know if the religion in Norway (which is the supposed setting of Arendelle) is Roman Catholicism, but that's what I chose for this, since I am a Catholic myself.**

**Moving on, I have one other drabble written for this miniseries so far, but I will write more. I want to write them in chronological order; in other words, the appropriate amount of time Joseff ages with each succeeding chapter. If I write them out of context, it will be hard for me to figure out where I am.**

**As to those of you who gave me suggestions for future chapters, here's what I have to say:**

**ThawMyFrozenHeart: I like this idea, but it may have to wait until Joseff is a little bit older. I don't think babies can walk so well by the time they are one (if some have learned to walk already).**

**Rapunzelx: This sounds cute. I will give it a shot! I also picture Anna and Elsa having individual bonding with Joseff, too. ;)**

**ElsaSnowflake99: Did you see my second chapter? I do want to write more about Joseff and Elsa bonding, and it will be in future stories, too. ;)**

**SonicXmen94: I don't know exactly where a park or beach would be in Arendelle, but I do want them to do an outing together, like a family picnic in the woods. ;)**

**Karts of Sugar Rush: That's a very good idea! However, maybe it could be when Joseff is a couple of months older. Olaf can't really hold a baby, and he can't take care of him if he so little at the point that he can't move just yet. But maybe when Joseff learns to sit up. ;)**

**If any of you or other readers have more ideas for future drabbles, don't hesitate to share them with me!**


	5. There's a Brand New Baby at Our House

It was evening in the kingdom of Arendelle. The whole family was together in Anna and Kristoff's room, trying to make sure the young prince Joseff would go to sleep. When he started crying, everyone checked and nothing seemed to be wrong with him. They thought Joseff still might be colicky, but if that was all, Kristoff had an idea to try and comfort him.

As Anna picked Joseff up from his crib and held him in a comforting way, Kristoff said, "Anna, Elsa, I have an idea that could help Joseff."

"What's the idea, Kristoff?" Elsa asked.

"You'll see. It's also a surprise for you." Kristoff winked at Anna. When he started to exit out of the room, he finished, "I have to go get the thing I need for it." He motioned to Elsa, "And I want you to stay, too, Elsa."

Once her husband left, Anna sat down on the bed and held Joseff in a cradling position in her arms. Elsa sat down next to her sister.

"I wonder what his surprise is," Anna mentioned to Elsa.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Elsa admitted.

A few minutes later, Kristoff came back into the room. In his hand, clear as day, was his lute. That could only tell Anna one thing.

"You wrote a song for us," Anna said, smiling happily.

Kristoff leaned down so he and Anna could kiss. "I sure did. And I hope you will like it." While Anna and Elsa stayed sitting on the bed, Kristoff remained standing as he began to strum the lute. When he picked up the tune he wanted, he looked at his family and began to sing the lyrics:

_There's a brand new baby at our house  
The nicest little gift we've ever had  
How much fuller life has become  
No one knows what makes it hum  
Till you call each other mommy and dad  
_

_There's a brand new baby at our house  
And though he's been there just a little while  
In the ballroom, in the halls  
Every picture on the walls  
Seem to know because they all wear a smile  
_

_I can't explain what he does to my heart  
With his infant charms  
I never knew what heaven was  
Till I held an angel in my arms  
_

_There's a brand new baby at our house  
He's twice as sweet as honey from the comb  
He's the image of my wife  
He's the new light of our life  
Who has changed our happy house to a home  
_

_We thank the Lord  
Whose love and wondrous powers  
Gave us the brand new  
Grand new  
Baby of ours _

The moment he finished plucking the lute, Elsa, who was wearing a big smile on her face, stated, "Oh, Kristoff, that was wonderful!"

Anna was smiling tearfully. "Just beautiful. Thank you, dear."

"You're welcome, honey." Kristoff leaned down to kiss Anna again, which made Elsa smile even more. Then he turned his gaze down to his little boy, and he kissed Joseff's head.

Elsa reached out to hug all three of them. "I am so lucky to have all three of you as my family." Kristoff and Anna each put an arm around Elsa as all three of them continued to look at baby Joseff. He had stopped crying and was now smiling, which made his parents and aunt smile, too.

Anna looked over at Elsa. "Would you like to put him in his crib, Elsa?"

"I would love to," Elsa answered. As Anna handed Joseff over, Elsa carefully cradled Joseff in her arms. When she stood up and walked over to the crib, she took another moment to carefully stroke Joseff's toes, fingers, ears, and face. Joseff reached one of his hands up to her, so she leaned down to let him touch her. Anna and Kristoff watched contently, taking a moment to look and smile at each other.

Then Elsa gently lowered Joseff into his crib, and he continued to look at her even after he was comfortably settled.

"Good night, Joseff, my little prince. Auntie Elsa loves you so much." She kissed her hand and then put it on Joseff's cheek. She let Joseff grasp her finger before she pulled her arm up entirely.

By now, Kristoff and Anna had joined Elsa. Anna reached down to stroke her son's head. "Mommy loves you, too."

"So does Daddy," Kristoff said as he reached down and gently took Joseff's tiny hand in his own, feeling amazed at just how small his boy was compared to him.

Joseff continued to look up from his crib at all three of the people who were his family and loved him dearly.

* * *

**Here's another drabble! I know it was short, but I had it even shorter, ending with the song until I expanded it. And yes, this was again inspired by **_**I Love Lucy**_**. I had to change the lyrics a little, since the original song mentions Mickey Mouse, who wouldn't have existed yet, of course. ;)**

**Right now, I don't have new chapters written yet, and I could still use some help. Right now, I want to write stories about Joseff within the first year of his life, approximately two times for each month of his age. So if any of you know about babies, I need to know when they starting sitting up, crawling, and among other things. And to lilly willow, yes, there will be a story of Joseff's first birthday. :)**


	6. Sick as a Baby

Now that Joseff was over two months old, he did not need attention from Anna and Kristoff as much as he did when he was a newborn. In fact, since the couple was able to talk to each other more than they used to, there were some arguments that occasionally took place between them, and almost all of them were about their son.

Anna was currently mad at Kristoff because earlier that day, he took Joseff outside in the cold without a hat to keep him warm, because now she feared that Joseff would get sick from being in the cold weather. But Kristoff argued that he just wanted to take Joseff down to the stables to see Sven, and they wouldn't be gone long, so Joseff didn't need a hat. Then Anna stated that Joseff being around Sven could still make him sick because it would be unsanitary if Sven licked him and he wasn't cleaned up afterwards.

Right now, they were in their room with Joseff, and he still was there for the time being because a room that was being made up to be his nursery was far from finished. Anna couldn't bear the thought of Joseff being in another room just yet, and Kristoff was getting a little bit annoyed at how clingy she was being with Joseff.

As they were arguing about the situation just now, Joseff started to fuss, particularly because of the sound of his parents fighting (even though they weren't shouting). Anna walked over to the crib and pulled Joseff out. While she did, she said, "Awww, don't cry, baby. Mommy's got you."

"You see? There you go again, Anna. You run over to him every time he makes the smallest amount of noise. He's gotta learn to stand on his own two feet. I did as a kid."

"That's because you were so much older then. Kristoff, Joseff is far too little to 'stand on his own.' I mean, he doesn't even know he has feet! Babies have to feel secure. When he gets older, his personality will be shaped by every decision we make."

"I know, and if you pamper and spoil him so much, he'll grow up to be a wuss and a mama's boy! I don't like hearing people talk baby talk to him, either."

"But honey, people do that to babies all the time! It's just natural; babies are cute, so people talk cute to them."

"Well, it sounds demeaning to me! Joseff may be cute, but he was born to be tough, strong, and an ice harvester, like me!"

"Excuse me, but as a member of the royal family, Joseff was born to be a gentlemanly prince!"

While Kristoff and Anna were having their argument, Elsa was standing outside the door and heard everything they were saying to each other. She shook her head, unable to comprehend how they could argue so much about one little baby. Being a part of the family, she felt she had to step in now and then, and now was a time when she had to do it.

Just as she opened the door and walked in, she announced in a loud voice, "All right, that's enough!"

Elsa's temper caused her to accidentally shoot some ice from her hands, which made Anna and Kristoff jump back, but luckily no one got hurt. Wanting to share her feelings, Elsa put her gloves on to be safe. Taking a deep breath, then exhaling, she tried to sound calmer as she continued, "Now I'm getting very tired of this nonsense about Joseff between the two of you. You have to realize that both of you have moments of being right as well as wrong. Remember that a relationship is based on learning to get along and compromising. You're going to have to be able to do that as parents, too, so I suggest you listen to what each other needs to say and come to an agreement without constant arguing."

Kristoff and Anna stood there in silence, pondering Elsa's words. They knew she was right, so they knew it wasn't a time to be unreasonable. While she kept thinking, Anna looked down at Joseff, who had been placed back into his crib, then picked him up. "Hey Kristoff? Elsa? Does Joseff look a little red to you?"

Both Elsa and Kristoff took a closer look. "Yes, he does," Elsa said. "Look, both his nose and cheeks are red."

Kristoff put his hand on Joseff's forehead. "He feels a little bit hot, too." Forgetting all he said from his argument with Anna, Kristoff began to panic a little. "Anna, what should we do? He's never been sick before."

"All right, let's not panic," Elsa stated. "I'll make some cold water to help cool him down."

"And I'll send for Dr. Bonnevie," Anna said. Gesturing to Kristoff, she asked, "Can you take him, honey?"

"Of course," Kristoff replied as he gently took Joseff from Anna. Once both Anna and Elsa had left the room, Kristoff looked down at his son and gently stroked his face. "I'm sorry, son. It's my fault you're sick; I should have kept you warmer like your mommy said to do. But you're gonna get through this; I promise." Then he positioned Joseff near his shoulder in order to give him the closest thing to a reassuring hug.

* * *

It didn't take long for Dr. Bonnevie to determine that Joseff became sick from being out in the cold. He said that even being in the cold for a few minutes for a baby Joseff's age made him very vulnerable. Hearing all of this just made Kristoff feel even more upset and caused him to think he had been a bad father.

"Joseff will be just fine," Dr. Bonnevie replied. "It's nothing serious at all, just a slight fever and a runny nose. As long as you keep him inside and cool to reduce his fever, he should be okay in a day or two."

"Are you sure? Is there anything more we can do for him?" Kristoff asked.

"Don't worry, Kristoff, your son will be fine. You have done everything right and there's nothing else to do."

"Well, thank you very much, Dr. Bonnevie," Anna said just as the doctor was about to exit the room.

"You're very welcome." He bowed to the royal family, then he went out the door.

Soon after he left, Kristoff approached Anna. "Anna, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about putting a hat on Joseff. It's my fault he's sick. I guess it means I'm a bad father."

Anna just smiled sympathetically at her husband. "Oh, Kristoff, you are so many things, but you are not a bad father!"

Kristoff sighed, feeling defeated. "I guess it still goes to the fact that I wasn't around humans much as I grew up. Being a father has changed me, but I don't always know what is right or wrong for Joseff. I used to think nothing could ever hurt me, and I guess I thought that when I didn't put a hat on Joseff and believe he could get sick."

"Oh, Kristoff, everyone makes mistakes and has flaws, even parents. No one is perfect. And it's good that you admitted your mistake, because it shows that you're not someone who prefers to put his pride before other people. The way you love and care for Joseff shows just how great a father you have been and still will be as he grows up."

"Well, I'm also sorry about our argument, too. I thought you were just being too clingy to Joseff."

"Honey, I know I can be a little crazy sometimes, but it's better for us to share our problems with each other rather than keep them inside of us or hide them by just getting into ridiculous fights. So the next time something is bugging you, will you please tell me? But in a way that won't hurt my feelings?"

"You got it. And you know, Elsa was right. We should do a better job of really listening to each other when we have ideas about Joseff, and taking the best of them and compromise."

"That's definitely a good plan. After all, we make a great team." She and Kristoff smiled at each other before they shared a tender kiss.

Elsa, who had been cuddling Joseff in her arms, listened to the entire conversation and smiled when she watched her sister and brother-in-law kiss. "It's with moments like these that I feel so lucky to have all of you as my family."

Anna pulled Elsa in for a hug. "Don't forget, Elsa, you're as much a part of our team, too. You're a great aunt."

Elsa smiled widely. "Thank you, Anna."

Just then, Joseff gurgled, as if he was trying to say something. Kristoff sniffed the air around them, then said, "Well, I think I smell a little teamwork coming on right now."

All three adults walked over to Joseff's changing table. As Elsa gently laid him down, she said, "Okay, young man. Time for a diaper change."

After he was placed down, Anna gently removed the diaper. Once it was off, it made all three briefly turn away and react with disgust.

"Whoa-ho!" Kristoff exclaimed.

"Oh, my!" Elsa cried.

"Whoa, baby!" Anna exclaimed, fanning herself with her hand.

But once they back in focus, they all changed Joseff, then put him down in his bed to let him get a good night's rest.


	7. A Father's Love

Kristoff was lying wide awake in his bed, wearing only pants and no shirt. Since he and Anna had gone to bed, he hadn't felt sleepy, so he had already been lying awake for a couple of hours.

Next to him, Anna was in a deep sleep. He smiled at how peaceful she looked, and he leaned down to give her a light kiss on the cheek. She stirred slightly, making Kristoff worry for a brief second, but when she didn't wake, he just smiled again and moved a strand of her hair away. "I love you," he whispered to her.

Kristoff looked over in the direction where Joseff was sleeping in his crib. Although it had been more than a month since Joseff got sick and was now feeling much better, Kristoff still couldn't help but feel guilty that he was the reason Joseff got sick. While he never thought he would fall in love and have a child, Kristoff now just wanted to be the best father he could possibly be. He didn't want anything to go wrong, so he initially felt he was a failure when Joseff got sick.

But Anna said that even parents could make mistakes, and what mattered is that Kristoff loved and protected Joseff so well, so he was far from being a bad father. Even since that day, though, Kristoff attempted to make up for his mistake by being more cautious and protective, though Anna told him that he could go overboard if he did too much or too little of anything like that with their son.

Feeling like a typical, concerned father, Kristoff slowly walked out of his bed and over to the crib, trying to be as quiet as he could possibly be. When he looked down, he was surprised to Joseff awake because he was not crying. In fact, once he saw his father's face, Joseff smiled and raised his arms up, like he wanted to be picked up or hugged.

"Hey son, you want to come out?" Kristoff whispered, then gently picked Joseff up and held him in his arms as securely as possible. Once he was completely out, Kristoff gazed down at his son and held out his finger for Joseff to grab. Joseff did, and put it in his mouth.

Kristoff laughed quietly. "You sure like to chew on things, don't you?" He took a moment to stroke his big fingers against Joseff's small cheek. Then he sat down in the nearby rocking chair. "I never thought I could love a human being as much as I love you, except for your mama. I know how big a responsibility it is being your papa, but I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world."

Kristoff then leaned down and nestled his face into Joseff's as he gave him a small, but gentle and loving hug. After he kissed him, Kristoff said, "You know, I had a song I would sing to our buddy Sven, and I've altered it some since, especially since I made a new version of it for your mommy. Let me sing it to you."

_I have never been in love before  
Sounds hard to believe, but it's true  
__I used to enjoy just being with Sven and the trolls  
__But then everything changed…when I met you_

_The day you came into my life  
It was truly out of the blue  
You were stubborn and sassy, yet fearless and sweet  
I've never known anyone quite like you_

_You are the best person I have ever met and known  
And I mean that through and through  
Anna, no better words can describe  
To say how much…I love you_

When he finished singing (which he did in a low voice so as not to wake Anna), Kristoff admitted, "I know that song doesn't really sound like it's meant for you, but I can still say that no better words can describe how much I love you." He smiled down at Joseff and gently tapped his nose with one finger, which made Joseff smile back.

Kristoff continued, "But I did write a song about you when you were born. I had said I never knew what heaven was until I held an angel in my arms. And you look just like an angel to me, Joe. I can already tell you look somewhat like me, but you have your mama's sparkling blue eyes. Mommy is such a beautiful woman, son, and I hope you grow up to be a good-looking young man and make us proud of you."

Just then, Joseff opened his mouth and yawned. "Well, I see you are already getting tired. I am, too. Why don't we go to bed now?"

Once he stood over the crib, Kristoff gave Joseff another kiss. Then he put him down into the crib and held his fingers for a moment. When he let go, he whispered softly, "I love you, Joseff. You're the cutest baby in the world."

Kristoff walked over and quietly got under the covers. As he looked at Anna next to him, he gently put his arm around her and touched her hand. Within a few minutes, Kristoff finally fell asleep, and Anna linked her fingers with those of Kristoff.

Unbeknownst to her husband, Anna had woken up and silently saw and heard everything Kristoff did with Joseff. She was successful in making Kristoff think she was still asleep since he was so occupied with Joseff. All of the things Kristoff said and did just made her smile and fill up with happiness. Despite their occasional hard times, Anna was happy with Kristoff and she felt that having his child only made them a happier family.


	8. Family Reunion

It was the middle of the night in Arendelle. The sun had already set and the sky was pitch black. But for now, instead of sleeping, the royal family was up and about because they were going to the Valley of the Living Rock to see the trolls.

Now that Joseff was no longer a newborn, Kristoff and Anna thought now was a very good time to visit the trolls so they could meet Joseff. Elsa decided to accompany them, too, since she had not seen the trolls since she was a child. Right now, Joseff was still very awake, so they decided to leave now before he could fall asleep. Kristoff, Anna, and Joseff were going to ride in the sled with Sven. They insisted Elsa join them, but Elsa though they would already be crowded, so she offered to ride her own horse instead.

It took a while to reach the valley, but luckily, Joseff stayed awake as Anna held him in her arms the whole time. As soon as they reached the territory, Elsa stepped off her horse and tethered him so he wouldn't run away. She walked over to the sled and took Joseff from Anna while Kristoff helped her step out of the sled. Then they removed Sven from his reins.

Before she gave Joseff back to Anna, Elsa brought him around to face Sven. "Hi, Sven," she said to him while she scratched his face. Then she held Joseff out further to look at Sven. "Joseff, remember Sven?"

As she held him out, Joseff reached out to pet Sven's mug. Before he could lick Joseff, Anna quickly said, "Please don't lick him, Sven." Sven was a little disappointed, but then he just gently nuzzled up to Joseff affectionately.

Elsa walked up the couple and was about to hand Joseff to Anna when Kristoff spoke, "I'll take him." He gently took him from Elsa and held him tightly in his arms.

As the family walked towards the rocks that were actually the trolls, Kristoff walked further ahead of them to let them know he was here. "Hey, everyone! We have someone new with us we want you to meet!"

Just as the rocks began to roll towards everyone, Kristoff had Joseff look in front of him so he could see, too. Anna and Elsa moved closer to them as the rocks came closer.

Once the rock that was actually Bulda revealed herself, she immediately cried, "Kristoff's home!" Almost everyone followed suit with "Kristoff's home!", then they did so again when she also exclaimed, "Anna's here, too!"

Before she could do more, Pabbie stepped forward, and Bulda cleared the path for him. Pabbie noticed Elsa, and bowed before her. "Queen Elsa, it is good to see you again." The rest of the trolls heard what Pabbie had said, so they bowed to Elsa as well.

"It is wonderful to see you again, Pabbie," Elsa replied with a smile.

Pabbie looked up at what Kristoff was holding in his arms. Everyone came closer to the ground, and upon getting a better look, Pabbie said, "And is this the new little prince Joseff?"

"Yes, he is, Grand Pabbie," Anna answered. Taking Joseff's hand in her own, she announced, "Everyone, this is mine and Kristoff's son, Prince Joseff."

Immediately after Anna introduced Joseff, Bulda cried, "Kristoff and Anna have a baby!" Then all the other trolls repeated, "A baby!"

Bulda and Cliff excitedly hurried over to meet their grandson. "What a cutie!" Bulda exclaimed. "Just like his daddy!"

"A real chip off the old block!" Cliff stated.

Since he was so little, Joseff didn't quite understand what was going on, and he looked a little scared. Anna noticed and said, "Awww, sweetie, there's no reason to be scared. These trolls are the rest of our family." Gesturing to their closest family members, she said, "This is your Grandma Bulda and Grandpa Cliff, and Grand Pabbie."

"He's a beautiful baby, Anna and Kristoff," Pabbie said truthfully. "You must be very proud of your sister, Elsa."

"I am," Elsa answered, then she reached over to Joseff and took one of his hands in her own.

"You see, Kristoff? We told you Anna was right for you, and now she's given you a beautiful son! You should be proud of yourself."

"I am, Mom," Kristoff replied. "I never thought I could love another human being so much, just like I love Anna." He placed his arm around Anna, and two looked at each other and laughed before they kissed.

"Awww!" all of the trolls exclaimed at once.

Just then, two little trolls named Tove and Alf rushed forward. "Finally! Another human who is just our size!" Tove cried.

"A new playmate!" Alf exclaimed.

"You guys will have to wait until he gets a little bigger to play with him, but it will be nice for him to have playmates," Kristoff said as he tickled Joseff, then gently kissed the top of his head.

Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa spent the next several hours talking and catching up with the trolls. None of them realized how late it had gotten until Elsa noticed that the sun was going to rise soon. They all realized that they had to leave now because the trolls would return to their stone state until the sundown.

By this time, Joseff was fast asleep and both Anna and Elsa were feeling exhausted. Elsa felt too tired to stay awake to ride her horse all the way back to Arendelle, and Anna could barely stay awake herself. Luckily, Kristoff had an idea: the part of the reins he held in his hands were tied to the sled so Sven would still pull it, since Kristoff could hold Joseff since he wanted to let Anna rest. He made the back of the sled comfortable so Elsa could rest there, and since her horse was trained, it would follow the sled back to the castle.

When everyone was all set to back home, they all called out to the trolls, "Goodbye, everyone!"

"Goodbye!" the trolls said back.

"You be sure to come back again, you here?" Bulda demanded.

"And bring Joseff with you, too!" Cliff exclaimed.

"We will," Anna answered. Then she, Elsa, and Kristoff waved to the trolls, who waved back.

At the sled, once everyone was settled in and in their place, Sven began pulling the sled as he ran, while Elsa's horse followed close behind. Before too long, Anna and Elsa were both asleep and stayed asleep the whole ride back to Arendelle.


	9. Family Is Forever

After several weeks of construction, the room that was made to be the nursery for Joseff was finished at last. At the moment, Kai and Gerda were leading the whole family to the room to surprise them, and that included Elsa along with Kristoff, Anna, and Joseff.

Although the room belonged to only Joseff, it was big because it was actually the room that Anna and Elsa once shared. Since Elsa had her own room and Anna now lived with Kristoff in the room he was given when he was first welcomed to Arendelle, the family decided to change the entire room for new inhabitants…and that included any future royal children, such as Joseff.

Once they reached the door to the room, Kai began, "Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, and Sir Kristoff…"

"We present to you the new room of Prince Joseff," Gerda picked up the line and finished for him.

Both servants opened the doors and the entire family stood in awe at the room. Although they had the seen the room while it was under renovation, they were still surprised how different it looked from before. Nearly the entire room was previously covered in pink wallpaper or painted pink, had pink carpeting, and a big pink rug. Now that was all changed by having everything reverted to blue. All of the things for Joseff now had a proper place to be put: his closet contained all of his clothes, pajamas, and blanket, a small nightstand contained all of his diapers, and there was a large toy box where he could store all of his toys. The fireplace and window were still there like they always had been, as well as some paintings and portraits. But then, Kai noticed one thing that was missing.

"I see we forgot to put up the portrait of the late king and queen. We will go retrieve it right now," he said before he and Gerda walked out of the room.

"I'll go with you, too, if you need some help carrying it," Kristoff offered.

"Thank you, Sir Kristoff," Gerda said. So Kristoff walked behind the two servants after they headed out the door.

Once they were alone, Elsa said, "I think it's a wonderful idea to have the portrait of Mama and Papa in Joseff's room, Anna. Joseff may never know them, but at least he can know them by face, and we can tell him about them."

"I know, Elsa, that's why I wanted it here," Anna replied, then she sighed and smiled sadly as she looked down at her son.

"What is it, Anna?" Elsa asked, sensing something was troubling her sister.

Anna sniffled, trying to hold back small tears. "I just wish they were still here, Elsa. I know they'd be proud of you for becoming the queen and woman you are."

Elsa put her arm around Anna's shoulder. "And I know they'd be proud of you for the kind of woman _you_ are."

"Do you think they would have liked Kristoff even though he is not royalty? And would they have loved Joseff, too?"

"I know Papa believed in traditions, but he wouldn't have forced marriage on either of us just for that. He was the king, but as his family, our needs came first for him and Mama. And after what Kristoff did for you, how could they not have learned to love him? I did."

Anna looked at Elsa smiled, then Elsa finished, "And how could they not have loved this sweet little prince that even I absolutely adore? Point saying, Anna, Mama and Papa would want all of us to be happy, and I don't think we could be any happier than we are now." Elsa paused a moment before adding, "I'm sure that right now, they're looking down on us from heaven, just as happy as they can be."

"And don't forget that you're no longer alone, Anna. We're all here for you when you need us, especially me. And let's make sure that we're here for Joseff whenever he needs us…I think we've all done well with that so far." Elsa gave Anna a small wink.

The sisters shared a small arm-to-arm hug with each other, then gave tiny hugs and kisses to Joseff.

Just then, Kristoff burst into the room. "We have the portrait," he announced just before several servants carrying the portrait walked into the room.

"Terrific!" Anna exclaimed.

Elsa ordered the servants to hang the portrait on the wall above Joseff's crib, which was on the same side of the room as the fireplace. It took a few minutes to carefully hang it up to make sure it didn't get damaged. Once it was in its proper place, everyone in the room took a few minutes to bow their heads to the monarchs in the portrait as a sign of respect.

Once all of the servants left the room, Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa took closer steps to the portrait. Anna was in front, still holding Joseff. Helping him to look upward, she said, "Joseff, you will never know them…but these are Auntie Elsa and my parents, the former king and queen of Arendelle." Smiling at her son, she added, "I see you have Papa's nose, and Mama's eyes, like mine."

Although he was still much too young to understand, Joseff curiously looked up at the portrait of his late grandparents with his mother. Remembering what Elsa said about their parents looking down on them, Anna felt that placing their portrait over Joseff's crib was the best they could do in them looking out for and protecting their infant grandson.


	10. Sit Ups

It was a Saturday afternoon. While Elsa was caught up in paperwork, Kristoff and Anna were in the nursery, playing with Joseff. While Joseff lay on his back on his blanket, his parents were happily and eagerly entertaining him, since he couldn't sit up yet to really play with his toys. Kristoff really enjoyed playing peekaboo, while Anna loved to blow on his stomach and shower Joseff with kisses. At times they would alternate, and both of them just loved it whenever Joseff would give them a little smile or giggle.

Right now, Kristoff was eagerly playing peekaboo with Joseff, hoping to catch a smile from his little boy. "Come on, son. Give Daddy and Mommy a smile." He put his face behind his hands as he drew closer to Joseff. Then he opened them as he exclaimed, "Peekaboo, I see you!"

Joseff's face lit up at that, so Kristoff did it again. "Peekaboo!" Then Anna joined in with him, making Joseff let out a little baby laugh.

Anna lifted up Joseff's shirt and blew on his stomach, making Joseff smile wider. "That's it, sweetie. Smile for Mommy and Daddy." Kristoff followed suit, then they both gave Joseff gentle tickles on his stomach.

"Hey, let's see if he can do this by now!" Kristoff exclaimed.

"Do what?" Anna asked.

"High fives," Kristoff answered, so he held his hands, which appeared so big in comparison to Joseff's tiny ones, out in front of Joseff. "Can you give Daddy a high five yet, Joe?"

And to both their surprises, Joseff seemed to understand and lifted his hands up to touch his father's as best as he could.

"Now that's my boy," Kristoff said happily.

"You mean that's _our_ boy," Anna corrected.

"Of course I do," Kristoff said while Anna eyed him suspiciously. But then she broke out into a smile as he leaned over to kiss her. Then they looked down at Joseff and lay down on the floor, with Joseff between them.

Anna looked down at him and felt tears brimming in her eyes. "Isn't he sweet?"

Kristoff smiled. "The sweetest, cutest baby ever born."

"Except for you and Elsa, I love Joseff more than anything in the world. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love Joseff."

"Me too, Anna. I never thought I would love this kind of life." Anna and Kristoff looked right into each others' eyes as he finished, "I never thought we could all be so happy together…I love you both so much."

Tears of happiness fell from Anna's eyes and she and Kristoff shared a very deep and passionate kiss, though they were careful to make sure they didn't accidentally smother Joseff. Once they finished, they gave Joseff some kisses of his own, and that made him smile more.

Anna picked Joseff off from the floor and positioned him forward. "Okay, honey, you need to take a short nap before we have dinner tonight."

"Hey Anna, let go of him for a minute and leave him sitting."

"Why?" Anna asked.

"I just want to see if he could sit up without help by now."

So Anna did as Kristoff said, carefully positioning Joseff, then she stood up and backed away. a few seconds later, both she and Kristof were instantly amazed: Joseff could now sit up on his own!

"Five months old now, and he's doing great!" Kristoff cried excitedly.

"I can't believe he can sit up now!" Anna exclaimed. "I have to go get Elsa before he loses strength!"

Anna ran out of the room and down the hall to Elsa's room, where she burst in since the door was open.

"Anna, what is it-" Elsa began before Anna grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of her seat. "You have to see Joseff, come on!"

Anna was so excited that she barely heard Elsa say, "Okay, I'm coming, but stop pulling me by my wrist!"

Then they hurried into room, and Anna let go of Elsa's wrist, which Elsa was now tenderly rubbing. Before she could ask, Anna cried, "Look, Elsa! He can sit up all by himself!"

Elsa noticed this and smiled widely. "Oh," she said affectionately, "you're getting to be such a big boy, Joseff!" Turning to Anna and Kristoff, she added, "Now it shouldn't be too long before he learns to crawl."

Anna gestured a "go ahead" motion to Elsa, who got down on the floor with Joseff, then gently picked him up. "Oh, yeah, you are getting big," she said as she pretended to act weak. "I may not be able to pick you up anymore soon." But then she smiled mischievously. "Just kidding! Don't grow up too fast, my little snowflake."

Joseff brought one of his little hands to his Aunt Elsa's face, and Elsa gently kissed it. Then she planted some kisses on his face before she brought him closer to her to give him a loving hug.


	11. Story Time

Anna had just finished feeding Joseff and was holding him in her arms, gently patting his back and trying to get him to burp. He was crying a little bit, but she gently shushed him as he did.

"Shhh! It's all right, sweetie. Now come on. Give Mommy a little burp. Don't want you to feel gassy now!"

Then Joseff let out a burp that was almost faint, but given their close proximity, Anna could hear it well.

"See? There you go, honey. That wasn't so hard." Then she brought him around so he could look at her. "Now why don't we just set you down in your crib? I'll lay you on your back." Anna gently lowered Joseff into the crib while she said soothingly, "There we go. There we go."

Once he was laid down comfortably, Joseff looked up at Anna and reached for her. Just as she took one of his hands in her own, Kristoff and Elsa quietly entered the room. Anna motioned a "be quiet" sign to them and they both nodded while mouthing their words.

As soon as they joined Anna over the crib, they both looked down at Joseff, smiling and waving happily to him. Joseff smiled back, and continued to motion with his hands, like he wanted to be picked up.

Elsa whispered, "May I pick him up, Anna?"

Anna groaned slightly while also smiling a little. "But I just put him in the crib."

Kristoff gave Anna's face a little shove. "We'll just put him back in afterwards."

So Anna relented, feeling she could never say no to Elsa, especially whenever it came to Joseff. With that, Elsa gently picked Joseff out of his crib and held him in her arms. While she looked at him, Anna said, "You're so good with him, Elsa. You're such a great aunt, and you'd be an excellent role model for Joseff when he gets older."

"You really think so? You two have to be role models for him as well."

"We know. But if there's a chance Joseff could be a future ruler of Arendelle, who better to help prepare him than you?"

Elsa was somewhat apprehensive at the thought, but when she looked at Joseff, she just gave a smile. "You can count on me, Anna." Then she gently nuzzled her cheek against Joseff's cheek and gave him a big kiss on his forehead.

Elsa walked back over to the crib, giving Kristoff a chance to kiss Joseff as well. And of course, Anna followed suit. Elsa gave Joseff to Kristoff, who then put Joseff back in the crib.

While Joseff kept looking up at the adults who loved him, Elsa said, "He doesn't look very tired, so why don't we tell him a story? Maybe it'll help him go to sleep."

"I like the idea," Kristoff said. "What story should we tell him?"

Then it suddenly hit Anna: "Why don't we tell him _our_ story? You know, about Elsa's coronation, the eternal winter, how we met Kristoff, and defeated Hans?" Before Elsa could object, Anna added, "I mean, he wouldn't understand it now, but someday we will have to tell him about it. Don't you think so?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Well, I think you have a point there." He glanced over at Elsa. "Elsa?"

"Yes, I suppose you are right, Anna." Elsa nodded, then smiled. "Okay, let's tell him the story." She reached down into the crib and playfully, but gently grabbed Joseff's feet. "You ready to hear a story, my little prince?"

Joseff let out a little giggle, then Anna said, "It's all about Mommy, Daddy, and your Auntie Elsa!"

"And a no-good traitor named Prince Hans," Kristoff said somewhat gruffly.

"Kristoff," Anna said with a warning tone, but Kristoff just smiled.

So all three adults circled themselves around the crib and made sure Joseff could see all of them. Then Elsa began, "Well, Joseff, our story begins almost four years ago, during the month of July. It was a very hot summer day. The fjord was packed with ships from visiting countries because it was the day of my coronation…"


	12. Peaceful Afternoon

Now that it was the middle of May, the weather in Arendelle was very warm and it wouldn't be too long before the summer heat arrived. It was because it was so warm that Anna decided that today was a good day for her to have a picnic with her family. Although she initially wanted to invite Elsa, Elsa declined, insisting that Anna have the picnic just with Kristoff and Joseff. Although she loved Joseff dearly, Elsa also thought it was important that he have times alone with his parents, especially since he was still so little.

And now, Anna was settled in the sled, holding Joseff in her arms while sitting next to Kristoff, with Sven tied to the reins and pulling the sled. They had left the castle a short time ago and were about to come to their favorite part in the woods, which was where Kristoff had proposed to Anna. They knew where to find this exact spot because on one of the trees, they had carved a heart with their names, in order for them to remember that happy day.

"Here we are!" Kristoff exclaimed, interrupting Anna's thoughts. "I see the tree." Then he tugged Sven's reins and Sven came to a stop.

Kristoff stepped out of the sled once he parked it, then he went over to Sven and unhooked his harness. Then he walked over to where Anna was and she handed Joseff to Kristoff so she could step out herself. After she did, she reached into the sled and grabbed their picnic basket and blanket.

The little family walked over to the tree Kristoff had spotted. Once there, Anna spread out the blanket, and she and Kristoff sat down on it while Sven lay down on the grass right next to them.

Kristoff handed Joseff to Anna, then he started removing their food from the basket, which held carrots, apples, grapes, sandwiches, champagne, and a small chocolate cake. Kristoff took one carrot from the bunch and held it out to Anna, who took a bite. She smiled at Kristoff, who smiled back as he took a bite before giving the rest of it to Sven, who chomped it up happily.

Kristoff and Anna acted very lovey-dovey as they ate the rest of their food, particularly in how they shared it with each other. Specifically, they would take pieces of the food and hold them out to each other for the person to eat. Almost all of their food was the same food they had on their picnic in this same spot two years prior, and they felt like they were reliving that moment again. But now it was even better…because they had their son with them.

"What do you say we have a toast?" Anna asked.

"I agree," Kristoff answered. He gently set Joseff down on another spot on the blanket. "Wait here, son. Don't go crawling away just yet."

Joseff was lying on his stomach, but Anna still made an effort to tickle him. "Once he can roll over all by himself, then we'll have to start worrying about him being able to crawl," she commented.

Kristoff had just finished pouring the champagne in his and Anna's glasses and was about to give the toast when he suddenly exclaimed, "Anna, look!"

So when Anna turned her head, both she and Kristoff were shocked to see Joseff roll over from his stomach and onto his back!

Anna was speechless. All Kristoff could say was, "I guess we spoke too soon."

Anna picked Joseff up from where he was lying and brought him into her embrace, giving him a big kiss on his cheek. "We're so proud of you, sweetie."

"We sure are," Kristoff agreed, ruffling Joseff's hair. "Anything new he does amazes me, and seeing him anytime just makes me forget any worries I have." Then he leaned forward and gave Joseff a kiss while Anna did the same thing. Maybe it was partly due to the force on his face, but Joseff managed a smile between the kisses from his parents.

"And now, young man, it is time for you to be fed," Anna spoke up. Motioning to Kristoff, she added, "I need you to hold Joseff while I undo my outfit first." So Kristoff took Joseff in his arms, then Anna cleared her throat loudly. That got Kristoff's attention again, and he was confused at first, but then he understood when she motioned at Sven with her eyes.

"Um, Sven," Kristoff said. "I'm…gonna need you to turn around for a bit."

Sven snorted in confusion, as if he was trying to ask why. Before Kristoff could speak in his "voice," Anna stated, "Nothing personal, Sven. It's just…the way I have to feed Joseff is a little…private, and I don't really want to be watched. And if you're wondering, Kristoff is the father, so it's not that big of a deal if he sees me. Although…" Anna paused, because she was feeling strange, trying to explain all of this to a reindeer. "Kristoff, this just feels very weird! Maybe you should turn around with him and explain!"

"All right, Anna," Kristoff agreed, rolling his eyes slightly as he did. Once Kristoff and Sven were looking away, Anna unfastened the clasp on the collar of her dress, then brought down her bodice. Once she was ready, she said, "Okay, you can give him to me now."

Kristoff turned around, then gave Joseff to her. Feeling unsure of what else to do, he nervously asked, "Um, what should I do while you feed him?"

"I don't know. Just talk to Sven or something, at least to keep him from looking my way."

When Kristoff turned around, Anna did the same to make sure she wouldn't take a chance on being surprised by accident. She lifted Joseff to her bare breast and he began sucking on it once his lips made contact.

A few minutes later, Anna thought that Joseff had had enough. She gently pulled him away from her, making him let go of her breast. "You sure are a hungry boy, honey." Trying to make sure she held him well, Anna struggled to turn around. "Kristoff? Can you take him?"

Kristoff looked back in her direction. "Sure thing," he answered, and he carefully took Joseff as Anna handed him over. Once her hands were free, Anna brought her bodice back in its place and fastened her collar. She looked at her husband, who was now holding their son in both of his large hands. Smiling, she said, "He's getting big, but I guess it's not hard for you to hold him in just your hands, huh?"

Kristoff just smiled back. "Ah, I don't think he'll ever get too big for me to hold." He brought Joseff to his chest and gently patted his back, then he laid his head down in Anna's lap. They smiled at each other, and Anna leaned down to kiss his lips.

It didn't take too long for Kristoff and Joseff to doze off since they were so comfortable in their positions. Anna looked at her two boys with all the love she had for them, and gently rustled her fingers through their hair.

Sven crawled over, not wanting to be left out. "Yes, I love you, too, Sven. I need my boys and reindeer in my life," she said in an assuring tone. Anna kissed his forehead and he gave her a lick on the cheek, which made her giggle. Then she nestled up against Sven, and pretty soon, they were fast asleep, too.


	13. Crawls

Elsa was having some important conversations with Kai and Gerda in the library when Anna suddenly burst in with Joseff in her arms. Although she had been running some, she also had kept a firm grip on her baby.

"Elsa! Elsa!" she exclaimed as she ran in. "I've been looking all over for you!" But then she noticed Kai and Gerda and thought she might blush. "Oh, I'm sorry! Were you busy?"

"We had to discuss some things about the kingdom, but we're not that busy," Elsa answered. "What is it you want?"

"I know Kristoff is out working now, and I would wait until he came home. But I'm too excited to wait for him to show you."

"Show me what?"

"Elsa…Joseff has done a little bit of crawling!"

Smiling, Elsa gestured to Joseff. "You did?" and Joseff let out a little baby grin. Then she motioned to Anna, "Would he do some now if you put him on the floor, or does he just do it when he feels like it?"

"Well, probably when he feels like it. I wonder if he's one of those babies who won't do something when he's being watched or when you ask or plead him to do it."

Elsa shrugged. "Let's just see what he'll do."

"Well, if he doesn't want people to watch him, we'll leave now," Kai announced. Then he and Gerda bowed. "Good day, your Majesty. Princess Anna."

"I hope he will be crawling and even walking very soon," Gerda said with a smile. She touched Joseff affectionately, as she was very fond of the young prince.

"Good day, Gerda, Kai," Elsa replied.

Once both servants had left the library, Anna said, "Okay, let's see what he'll do!" Then she gently placed Joseff on the floor. "Well, honey, why don't you show your Auntie Elsa just what you can do?"

For about a minute, Joseff just stayed in the same spot on his belly. Elsa wanted to see him crawl, but she also knew that it wasn't best to get impatient with a little baby. So she said to Anna, "Why don't we just start to walk towards the door and act like we are leaving? If Joseff possibly doesn't like being watched, maybe he'll crawl if he thinks no one is here."

"Do you really think he's capable of knowing when someone is around him or not?"

"I don't think we should underestimate babies, Anna. They may be little, but the way they can grow and develop, even with personalities and their senses? Well, they can surprise people."

Anna nodded. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Looking down at Joseff, she said (even though she had doubts that he could really understand her), "Honey? Auntie Elsa and I are just stepping out for a minute. But no one else is around, so you'll be safe here for the moment."

Anna and Elsa both stepped backwards towards the door, hoping they might catch Joseff crawling, especially if he thought they had their backs turned or were out of the room. When they were finally out of the room, they kept the door ajar to see, and even covered their mouths so they wouldn't sound like they were breathing loudly, indicating their presence.

After standing there for a few extra minutes, it happened: Joseff took a few moves forward on his belly. Through the door, Elsa could see it better than Anna, but Anna thought Elsa deserved to see him since she (Anna) already witnessed him crawling.

Elsa ran in to the library in joy. "Congratulations, Joseff! I knew you could do it, sweetie!" Then she picked him up from his spot on the floor and gave him a big kiss.

Anna followed her sister into the library. "I wonder if he'll be like this when Kristoff comes to see him."

"Let's just tell him when he comes tonight and we'll see what happens."

* * *

When Kristoff finally came home that evening, Anna could have not have been happier to see him. "Hi, honey!" she exclaimed when she ran downstairs to meet him at the doors and jumped into his arms.

"Hi, feisty-pants!" Kristoff exclaimed in return. He scooped her up in his arms and kissed her. "So what did you do today?"

"Not much…" Then she smiled mischievously. "Except watch Joseff begin to learn to crawl."

Kristoff's eyes widened and he smiled excitedly. "He can crawl now?! When did you notice?"

"This morning. After he crawled a bit for me, I brought him to Elsa, though we went out of his view to see if he would crawl then after he didn't when we were there. We wondered if he is developed to know when someone is in the room and if he didn't want to be watched."

"Well, let's hope he'll want to do it again, because I sure want to see him do it!" Then he grabbed Anna's hand as he began to run towards the stairs. "Come on, let's go!"

"Okay, okay, here I come!"

* * *

In the nursery, Elsa was on the floor with Joseff. She was patiently coaxing him to crawl some more and was delighted whenever he made the slightest movement.

The door was open, so she easily heard footsteps running out in the hall, which, coming from how loud they were, they could only belong to Kristoff, along with Anna.

Once he was in the room and caught sight of Joseff, Kristoff exclaimed, "Hey, how's my little man?" He reached down to his level as best as he could. "Your mommy tells me that you just started crawling today. Can you do some for your old man?"

When Joseff didn't move right away, Kristoff decided to have some fun with him. Reaching down to the ground as best as he could, he put his arms in front of him and kept his legs tucked beneath him as he pulled himself along the floor. "See? I can crawl, too, son."

At a quick moment when Kristoff was not facing Joseff, he heard Anna shout, "Kristoff, look!"

"What?!"

And sure enough, Kristoff got to see Joseff in his action! He was crawling all right, and he was doing it in the way that Kristoff had just pretended to do.

"Whoa, now that's the most enthusiastic I have seen him in doing it all day," Anna said.

"All right, Joe! Now you're really learning how to move!"

"Now we're going to have to keep an even closer eye on him around the castle," Elsa stated.

"That's all right. We'll just make sure doors are always closed and that he is away from anything that can hurt him." Kristoff picked Joseff up from the floor, then gently tossed him in the air. "Good going, Joseff! All right!" Then he affectionately kissed his son and blew on his stomach, which only caused the little prince to giggle like the baby he was.


	14. Family Harvesting

"Hey Anna? I know he's only six months old now, but how would you feel if I took Joseff with me up to the mountains some time while I harvest ice?"

Anna, who was in the nursery with Kristoff and cradling Joseff in her arms, gave her husband a puzzled look. "I'd say that I think you're crazy to want to take him now, especially since he's just starting to crawl."

"Oh, come on, I'd keep an eye on him!"

"How can you? The mountain has no safe measures for a baby his age, and you'd have to tend to cutting ice out of the pond. Kristoff, face it, you can't work and keep an eye on Joseff at the same time. And don't think any of the other ice harvesters will look after him for you while you work."

"I guess you're right. I just wanted him to get his first experience of the ice business at his age."

"Unless…"

"Unless what?"

Anna gave a little smirk. "You let me go with you." Before Kristoff could say anything, Anna added, "Now I'm sure you wanted to just have a 'boys' day out' with Joseff, but face the facts, Kristoff: if I'm with you, you can work and be with Joseff at the same time. When you want to bond with him, I'll harvest some ice for you."

Kristoff chuckled. "Need I remind you that the last time you harvested ice with me, it took you an hour to cut through the ice with a saw and then another two hours just to pick an ice block out of the water?"

"Well…I can always try again, and you can just do most of the heavy work. Besides, you know I like coming to the mountains with you just to spend time with you and Sven, and now that we have Joseff, it's just like another family outing. And when he gets bigger, then you can take him to the mountains without me, and maybe even teach him how to harvest ice."

Smiling, Kristoff said, "Okay, you can come. Yes, I'd love to have a 'boys' day out' with Joseff, but you know I always enjoy your company."

"Thank you," Anna giggled, then she and Kristoff embraced while sharing a kiss.

* * *

A few days later, the family was up and about getting ready to go up to the mountains. Anna was just about finishing dressing up in her winter clothing, though instead of her usual black boots, Kristoff had given her an extra pair of his boots so that she wouldn't slip while walking on the ice.

At the same time, Kristoff, who was all dressed to go, was dressing Joseff up in clothes much like his ice harvesting outfit, including a small, dark-colored, tunic, pants, and boots, complete with his own little hat.

Kristoff gently positioned Joseff to sit up. "Well, son, are you ready for your first trip up to the mountains to see Daddy do his job?"

Joseff let out a little baby smile, which made Kristoff laugh. "That's my boy! One day, you're gonna learn to love harvesting ice, just like me." He kissed Joseff, then picked him up from his spot.

Anna came over and took him from Kristoff. Then all three of them headed downstairs and out of the castle and to the stables where the sled and Sven were waiting.

Once they came to the stables, Anna was the first to say, "Hi, Sven!"

Hearing his name, the reindeer looked over and saw his favorite people and began to pant excitedly.

"We're bring Joseff up to the mountains for a little trip, Sven," Anna said. "I bet you'd just love to have his company." Keeping Joseff secure in her grasp, she reached one arm out to pet Sven. Then she opened his gate and led him outside while Kristoff prepared the sled by adding all of his equipment and bags of things for Joseff and everyone else…including carrots.

Sven eagerly sniffed both Kristoff and Anna, hunting for the carrots. "Don't worry, Sven," Anna said. As she reached into the sled, she added, "The carrots are right…here!" She pulled out a carrot, and that was enough to make Sven extremely excited. He eagerly snatched it and pulled it into his mouth, but then he stuck it out to offer Anna a bite.

Anna laughed. "Thanks, Sven, but Kristoff and I will just share one instead."

Sven popped the carrot back into his mouth and chewed happily, while Kristoff held out another carrot to Anna. "Hungry, Anna?"

"You bet!" She took a bite of the carrot and smiled as she chewed it, then Kristoff followed when he took a bite.

Seeing them eat carrots, Joseff tried to reach out for one. But Anna objected, "No, no, sweetie, that food is too hard for you to eat yet. In a few years, when you get enough teeth, you'll be able to eat all sorts of foods like carrots…and even chocolate!"

"Let's not encourage him to just eat foods like chocolate," Kristoff said.

"I know, honey. I'm just saying, since not every kid is fond of foods like carrots, like you are."

"Point taken." Then he paused and finished, "Well, let's get going! The ice isn't going to harvest by itself!"

So then Kristoff attached Sven's harness to the reins and helped Anna climb into the sled, while he also held Joseff as she did, then gave him back to her. Once they were all settled in, Kristoff urged Sven, which the reindeer knew meant to go.

* * *

Within the first two hours of arriving at the mountains, Kristoff had created free ice floes in the pond due to him cutting them from the pond by use of his hand saw and coker, which resembled a three-pronged fork. Most of the floes were still very big in size, so he removed them from the water by using a pike pole or grappling hook. Once they were out of the water, he'd cut them into smaller blocks by using a pick axe.

After another hour had passed, Anna finally spoke up, "Come on, Kristoff, we've been here for three hours now and you've done all the work! Why don't you let me take a shot now, like lifting ice out with tongs?"

Kristoff gave her a skeptical look. "Fine, Anna, I'll let you have a turn while I look after Joseff now. But don't be surprised if you can barely lift the ice. I mean, they are really heavy, and I only make what I do look easy because I've been doing it for years."

Anna picked up the tongs, pike, and hook from the ground and walked over to a spot with the ice floes. As she squatted down and prepared to lift some ice using the tongs, Kristoff gestured to Sven with his head, directing him to go to Anna to help her, and Sven did just that.

"Hello, Sven," Anna said once she noticed him walk up to her side. "Are you here to help me harvest some ice?"

Sven smiled and grunted, to which Anna replied, "Well, that's nice of you, buddy. Kristoff thinks I can't do it, and maybe I can't, since I'm not strong or built as well as he is. But I just want to try it out." She gestured to Sven the direction of Kristoff and Joseff. "He wanted to spend time with Joseff today, but I told him he couldn't bring Joseff alone now since he can't harvest ice and look after him at the same time. But one day, Joseff will be big enough to learn the ice business, and he'll be tagging along with you and Kristoff before you know it." Then she turned her attention back to the ice. "Well, back to harvesting ice!"

Anna squatted down again to grab an ice block with the tongs. She quickly had the tongs surrounding the ice, but almost immediately afterwards, it dropped out of her grasp once she tried to pick it up. She tried to grab it again, but it quickly slipped out of her grasp again. Not wanting to try and fail many times, Anna put down the tongs and grabbed the pike. She stuck it into the ice, and using every ounce of strength she had, she pulled it out of the water.

Anna was feeling pleased with herself, and even Kristoff, who had seen the whole thing, was impressed. Still carrying Joseff, he walked over to her. "Not bad, Anna. If you think you can do it, why don't you take some more ice out of the water, then I'll cut it up and put the blocks in the sled, and start all over again to get new blocks of ice."

"All right, but I think we should stop to have lunch soon, especially since it's almost time for Joseff to be fed."

"And hey, well, I know this isn't exactly a moment of family bonding for all of us, but…I'm glad you and Joseff came. I like having you with me, even when I'm working."

"Thank you, Kristoff, I appreciate it."

Kristoff smiled and leaned down to kiss Anna. "We'll leave earlier tonight, because the mountains are coldest when it's night, and even though Joseff is dressed warm, we don't want to take the chance on him getting sick again."

So for the rest of the day, Anna and Kristoff took turns looking after Joseff while one of them worked with the ice. Kristoff did the majority of it, especially with cutting through the ice and hauling it to the sled. But every now and then, he gave Anna a chance to lift ice out of the water and break it down with the pick axe.

A few hours before darkness would come, the family decided to head on home at last, especially since Joseff was starting to doze off. He wouldn't remember today, but Kristoff and Anna would remember it as one of the best days of their lives together.


	15. Teething Troubles

One afternoon in Arendelle, the seven-month-old prince Joseff had started crying, which sounded louder than usual. When Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa first checked him, he had to be changed, so they thought that was all, because he stopped crying after that. But it wasn't too long before he began to cry loudly again.

While Joseff was sitting in his crib, Kristoff gently placed his hand on his son's forehead. "Hey, I think he feels a little bit warm."

Anna picked Joseff up from the crib and held him in her arms. Then something about Joseff's mouth caught her eye and she looked closer. "Hey, maybe this is the problem!"

"What is?" Kristoff asked.

"Kristoff, don't you see something different about Joseff?"

Kristoff moved in to get a closer look. Looking exactly where Anna had placed her finger in Joseff's mouth, he asked, "Wait, is that…a tooth?"

"It sure is!"

"Joseff is getting a new tooth?" Elsa said. "Awww, poor baby! It must really hurt, with the tooth piercing through his gum." She smiled and loving stroked Joseff's cheek.

"You really think that's why he was crying so much?"

"Well, our mama did tell us once that some babies do cry when they are teething, Kristoff. Maybe not every baby does, but it's still possible for Joseff."

"Maybe we should send for Dr. Bonnevie," Elsa suggested. "We should see if that really is the problem. Plus, if he's warm, he could be getting a fever, and we need to know why."

Once Elsa left the room to tell servants to send for the doctor, Kristoff said, "Anna, can I ask you a somewhat personal question?"

"What is it, Kristoff?"

Kristoff sighed, making Anna worry about what he wanted to say. "Does Joseff's crying ever…annoy you?"

"It does sometimes. I'm sure it does for a lot of parents. But when I remember that he's my son and how much I love him, I push aside my annoyance to tend to him and make sure he is all right." Anna gave Kristoff a sly look. "Why? Does he annoy you?"

"Well…yes, at least if he screams so loudly and suddenly like he has been today." Kristoff groaned, feeling frustrated with himself. "I'm sorry, Anna, it's just that…I've never had experience with babies before, and it's a bit frustrating to hear him cry so much and always inspect him to see why he's crying. I just wonder if sometimes, babies are just crying for no reason; they cry because that's just what they do."

"It _is_ what they do, Kristoff. But understand this: Joseff can't talk yet; babies like him cry because it's their way of telling their parents what they need or want. And maybe parents can't always figure out why they cry. Sometimes it's a matter of guessing. Like when he was a few weeks old and he was crying so much, we figured it's because he was colicky."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Kristoff gazed into Anna's eyes. "I just hope you don't hate me, Anna. I've had moments of frustration now and then for the past seven months."

Anna chuckled. "Oh, Kristoff, I don't hate you!" She smiled and placed her hand on his large shoulder. "It's okay. Not every parent knows the answer to every problem with their kids. You're only human; it's natural to feel frustrated."

"I know. It is tough, being a parent. But I still mean it when I say and have said that I wouldn't trade my life with you and Joseff for anything." He smiled down at her and stroked her cheek.

Anna smiled back. "I know you wouldn't. I wouldn't, either."

Still smiling at each other, Kristoff leaned down to kiss Anna on the lips.

* * *

After he arrived, Dr. Bonnevie inspected Joseff, including his mouth for his incoming tooth. When he was through, he announced, "Well, I would say that this new tooth could be the reason for his crying, but I may have found something else."

"What's that?" Anna asked the doctor.

"Well, before you sent for me, besides his tooth, did you happen to notice Joseff putting his hand to his ear?"

"Oh, yes, actually, we did notice him putting his hand near his right ear a couple of times," Kristoff answered.

"Well, Joseff appears to have a bit of swelling in his ear that could lead to an infection. Luckily, I saw it before it could get any worse, but since he does have that and a slight fever, he will have to take some fluid medication for a week to make the swelling go down."

"Oh, my," Anna stated, putting her hands over her mouth.

"Don't worry, Princess Anna, he will be fine. Just be sure to give him his medicine three times a day as needed and keep him inside and away from other people until next week."

"What about his tooth? What should we do about that?" Elsa asked.

"There isn't very much you can do, since the pain will fade on its own. But if you still want to help him ease the pain, if you put a cold washcloth on the gums where his tooth is, that should help. I also have some liquid pain reliever you can give to him. But don't give it to him more than three times a day. Try to give it to him in moderation."

"Well, thank you, doctor," Elsa replied before the doctor took his leave.

* * *

Sometime later, in the nursery, Anna and Kristoff were set up with the medicine for Joseff. They were going to give it to him by serving the medicine in a spoon, making them feel like they were already starting to get the feeling of what it would be like when it came time for Joseff to begin eating solid food.

As Anna sat down on the floor with Joseff in her lap, Kristoff was sitting down as well, getting the medicine ready. Anna said, "He's probably going to be very stubborn and resistant to taking this."

"Yeah, just like you," Kristoff said with a smirk. Anna just smirked back.

"Maybe I should feed him the medicine while you hold him," Anna suggested. "Maybe he won't be as resistant if I give it to him."

Just then, Elsa appeared at the door. "Having any trouble yet?" she asked with a little sassy smile.

"We haven't even given him the medicine," Kristoff answered.

"Well, why don't I try to give it to him? I could probably be calm and soothing to convince him to open his mouth and take it."

"If you want to, Elsa," Anna said with a shrug.

So Elsa walked into the room and sat down. Kristoff gave her the spoon and gestured to the medicine. Carefully, Elsa brought the medicine-filled spoon over to Joseff's face and waved it close to his mouth. "Okay, sweetie, now you have to drink this. I know it doesn't look good, but it's to help you. Do you want the pain in your ear to go away?"

And to everyone's surprise, Joseff opened his mouth and let Elsa give him the liquid medicine until just about all of it was gone.

"Wow, that was…really good, Elsa," Kristoff said with some astonishment.

"Thank you," Elsa said. Then she took the pain reliever medication and poured that into the same spoon. As she brought it up to Joseff, she said, "Now, honey, this is to help with the pain from your new tooth."

Almost like a reflex, Joseff opened his mouth and took the medicine. When he finished, all three adults clapped and cheered.

"Good job, sweetie," Anna cooed to her son, then bent down and kissed the top of his head.

Elsa stretched her finger out to Joseff's face and tenderly tapped his nose with affection. Before she could pull it away, she was very surprised when Joseff grabbed it and put it in his mouth! He moved the finger around in his mouth like he was gnawing it, making Elsa's eyes widen with surprise.

"You like that, huh, son?" Kristoff asked.

"Wow, he must really love you, Elsa, if he does what you say and chews on your finger as a way of soothing his pain." Anna smiled and winked at her sister.

Elsa was feeling a little bit uncomfortable, but she smiled when she looked down at her beloved nephew. "Well, what are aunts for?"


	16. Food for Thought

Now that Joseff was eight months old, Anna thought it was a good time to start transitioning him to baby food, even though he still would need to nurse on her up until before he turned two.

Right now, Anna was in the nursery with Joseff, who was sitting on her lap with a bib tied around his neck. On a small table next to her were a few samples of homemade baby food. The castle's chef had taken careful time to take common solid food and cook, strain, and puree it so well that it could be soft enough for Joseff to eat. Anna had brought small amounts of strained carrots (at the desire of Kristoff), apples, bananas, peas, and broccoli for him to try. Though humorously, since she wasn't too fond of most vegetables, including broccoli and peas, she didn't think Joseff would like them, either.

Anna gave Joseff a little bounce from her leg as he sat in her lap. "Okay, sweetie, today is your first day of trying solid foods. You'll still be drinking milk for some time, but it's time you started new foods at your age."

Making sure she kept an eagle eye on Joseff, Anna reached for the spoon and scooped it in the bowl that held the strained bananas. Then she brought it around to his face. "Okay, honey, now open your mouth and try some bananas."

But when Anna brought the spoon right to Joseff's lips, he would not open them. In fact, when she tried to point the spoon right at his mouth, he would move his head a little bit to avoid it.

Anna wondered if that, even though he was so little, Joseff could tell the food was something new and not his milk, so he didn't want to try it. "Come on, Joseff, you have to eat this. It's good for you."

However, Anna did not want to be forceful and persistent with her baby, so she decided to put the bananas aside and try another one of the samples of baby food. Each other individual food was in its own bowl and had its own spoon. Anna thought Joseff would more likely go for the bananas since they were sweet, which is why she wanted to try them first. But since he didn't, she decided to feed him the peas (though she also thought he would really dislike them and refuse to eat them entirely).

"Let's try something else, sweetie," Anna said while she reached for the bowl of strained peas. After she scooped some up with the spoon, she added, "I thought you'd prefer to eat the bananas, but now I'm gonna have to give you a vegetable, and this are very good for you. We all want you to grow up big, healthy, and strong, just like Daddy."

Anna scooped up a smaller amount of the peas than bananas just to see if she could get Joseff to swallow just enough for a tiny mouthful. When she brought it to his mouth, she was surprised to see him open it enough and let her put the spoon in, but then that quickly changed when he made a face that looked like one of disgust to her.

"Well, at least you ate some. Let's try it again." Anna scooped up a larger serving of peas and brought them to Joseff. Although he cooperated in opening his mouth, it was only a matter of seconds before he spit it out and it fell onto his bib.

Anna laughed. "Okay, maybe that's enough of the peas!" After his reaction to the peas, Anna felt certain Joseff would also spit out the broccoli and carrots. But she still had to try first. So she motioned towards the bowl with the broccoli and picked up the spoon.

And again, Joseff opened his mouth, and the broccoli soon fell from his mouth. Anna took a cloth that was sitting on the table and used it to wipe all of the baby food from Joseff's face. When she tried to feed him more broccoli, not only did he spit it out (again!), but he let out what sounded like a little, angry cry.

Anna was taken aback by the sudden sound, but she figured she shouldn't feed him anymore broccoli. She looked at the carrots, wondering if feeding him another vegetable was a good idea. But not wanting to let any of the food go to waste, she decided to give it a shot. If he had another outburst, she would wrap it up with the baby food for today.

Even though he was still far too little to fully understand her, Anna decided to talk to Joseff. "Honey, I know this food is a big change from the milk you drink. But it's just something you have to learn to eat. And when you get much bigger, you'll be eating real foods, like carrots and broccoli." She stroked her son's cheek. "Joseff, these foods are very healthy for you. I know they don't taste good, and you would rather eat foods that do. But you can't just live on one kind of food forever, and even for foods that do taste good, you can't just eat them and neglect what foods you should eat."

Joseff was looking into Anna's eyes, appearing to listen as best as he could. "Well, you'll understand one day, sweetie, when you're old enough." Then she looked at the bowl of carrots. "You know, Daddy and Sven both love carrots, and maybe you can learn to love them, too." Then under her breath, she muttered, "I just hope Kristoff doesn't ask questions if he doesn't like them."

So after Anna scooped up some of the carrots, she brought it to Joseff's mouth…and like a reflex, he immediately spit them out! When Anna brought another spoonful up to his mouth, it barely touched his lips before Joseff let out a cry!

Just then, Elsa entered the room. "Anna, what's going on here? I was outside my room and I heard Joseff cry a couple of minutes ago, and again just now!"

"Hi, Elsa. I'm trying to feed him some baby food, but he's refused to eat just about all of it. He got upset just now after I fed him some carrots and before when I gave him some peas."

"Hmmm, vegetables. Young children don't usually like the taste of those."

"I know, but he has to eat them sometimes. He's going to have to eat baby food regularly soon, and he can't just eat the ones that taste good."

"That's true, but maybe that's how you should start it. Give him fruit kinds first, and work your way into others. And even if he doesn't eat it all first, don't let that stop you. Babies don't always want to eat whenever you feed them, but they can come around. When they are very hungry, they'll eat all of their food."

Anna smiled. "Is that what happened with me when I was a baby?"

"Oh, yes!" Elsa responded. "You could be such a picky baby and only wanted to eat what tasted good."

Just as she and Anna looked down at Joseff, a voice said, "Well, then, I guess we know where Joe gets it from," and Kristoff entered the room with a cheeky grin.

"Hi, honey."

"Hi, Kristoff."

"Hi, Elsa. Hi, honey." Kristoff leaned forward to kiss Anna. Then he noticed their little son. "Hi, Joseff," he said, then kissed the top of his head.

"Oh, yes. Joseff is going to grow up to be just like you, Anna." She motioned to Kristoff. "Sorry, Kristoff."

Kristoff just shrugged. "So, our little man won't eat any baby food, huh? Not even the carrots?"

"Not even the carrots," Anna repeated.

"Are there any you didn't feed him yet?" Elsa asked.

"Yes. The apples and the bananas, though I tried to give him bananas before, and he wouldn't eat them at all."

"Well, why don't you just try those two and see what happens?" Kristoff suggested. "If he didn't like the vegetables, the fruits couldn't taste any worse."

"You're probably right." Anna reached for the bowls of strained apples and bananas. Before she put a spoonful of bananas in Joseff's mouth, she said, "Okay, honey, maybe you'll like these more." Then she looked at her sister and husband and smiled before she added, "And why don't you show Daddy and Auntie Elsa what a big boy you are by eating all of your food?"

As Anna motioned the spoon to Joseff's mouth, she said, "Strained bananas in…" Then she paused, waiting to see if Joseff would eat them or spit them out. Sure enough, Joseff swallowed them. "And it's a keeper!"

So Anna gave him some more spoonfuls, and completely unlike what he did with the vegetables, Joseff ate all of the strained bananas. Even though Anna gave him small spoonfuls that he could swallow easily, he never once spit them out. The same thing happened when he ate all of the strained apples.

Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa were, again, all proud of Joseff for doing something new. Even though Joseff was still at the age where he primarily had to feed on breast milk, whenever he had to eat baby food, they decided to stick with ones he would like more and try others in moderation.


	17. The Little Prince and the Queen

It was August 1st, and the second anniversary of Kristoff and Anna's wedding. The couple had plans to spend the entire day together, which meant that they were leaving Joseff in Elsa's care during the day, and Elsa couldn't have been more excited to spend the entire day with her nephew.

At the moment, Kristoff, Anna, and Joseff were all together with Elsa in her room. The couple was explaining to Elsa what they would be doing during the day and how long they would be out, while also providing her with instructions for Joseff, particularly how often he needed to eat and take a nap.

"Well, that should be everything," Anna said after she mentioned everything she thought necessary. "We've never been away from him from such a long time in one day, so I hope he'll be okay."

Kristoff, who was holding Joseff in his arms, said, "Oh, he'll be fine, Anna. I mean, he loves his Aunt Elsa, so I think we're leaving him in good hands."

"You know you are," Elsa said with a warm smile.

"I wouldn't trust him with anyone else, Elsa." Then Kristoff put Joseff in her arms and she turned to face her son. "Okay, sweetie. Mama and Papa are going to be out all day, so you'll be spending time with your Auntie Elsa. I'm sure you two will have a lot of fun together. And be a good boy for her, okay?" She planted a kiss on Joseff's cheek. "Mommy loves you so much."

"Daddy loves you, too, Joe," Kristoff said, then he gave his son some kisses, too. Joseff managed to smile at both of them, which only made them smile wider and at each other.

"Don't forget about me," Elsa piped up. She held out her arms, and Anna gently gave Joseff to her. Then the sisters embraced in a one-arm hug.

"Thanks so much, Elsa."

"Yeah, thanks again, Elsa," Kristoff added, and he and Elsa kissed each others' cheeks.

"It's never a problem to look after Joseff. Happy anniversary, you two, and have a great day."

"We will. Bye, Elsa. Bye, Joseff," Anna said as she waved and walked out of the room, and Kristoff followed suit. Elsa walked out of her room and watched and waved after them until they were finally out of her sight.

Then the queen went back into her room and tenderly held her nephew closer to her. "So my little prince, it's just you and me for the day. What would you like to do?"

Joseff still couldn't speak, of course, so he just stared at Elsa. But that just made her smile. "Okay, you can't tell me yet. But I think you'll enjoy what I have in mind for today. First off, you've never even seen all of the castle. So as your queen, and aunt, I will start our day by giving you a tour of this place that is your home." She adjusted Joseff in her arms, then added, "And you know what? One day, this whole kingdom may be yours to rule, so I'll teach you just what you need to know to be a good ruler."

* * *

By the middle of the afternoon, Elsa had had a wonderful time with Joseff. Even though he couldn't do much of anything, she just loved having his company. After she showed him every place she knew of inside and outside of the castle, they had lunch together in the gardens (with Elsa feeding Joseff some milk and a little bit of baby food). Joseff was getting sleepy following that, so Elsa put him down for a short nap and spent some time going over paperwork.

An hour and a half later, Joseff finally woke up, prompting Elsa to go from her desk over to Joseff's bassinet. She looked down and smiled widely. "Is my little prince all rested up now?"

Joseff looked back at her and giggled his presumable response.

"That's good." Elsa reached down and gently picked Joseff up. Then they sat down on the floor. "How would you like to play some games?" Then another idea came to her. Although she was a little bit afraid of doing it, she also thought it was worth a try.

"Joseff?" Elsa asked, then she took a deep breath. "How would you like to see my magic?"

Joseff had an expression on his face that resembled curiosity as much as it could for a tyke his age. As Elsa began to swirl her hands, a small snowball appeared in them, and Joseff widened his eyes.

With a gentle motion, Elsa threw her hands upward and up in the air, the snowball disintegrated into thousands of snowflakes that fell towards the ground. The little prince laughed excitedly and threw his arms up as high as he could.

Seeing how delighted her nephew was at the snow she created, Elsa conjured up a small pile of the snow around them, though she made sure it wasn't deep. Joseff continued his playful antics by patting the snow with his little hands and attempted to crawl through it. At one point, he stumbled and his face fell in the snow, but Elsa just laughed with amusement, not mockery.

"Can you make an angel in the snow, my little angel?" she asked sweetly. Elsa gently placed Joseff on the floor and around the snow, then helped him move his arms up and down.

Afterwards, she picked him up from his spot. "See? You did it," Elsa said while pointing to where he had been lying. Then she brought Joseff even closer to her and nestled into him for a hug. "You're just like your mommy when she was little. She acted the same way when she first discovered my powers." Elsa then suddenly felt a little bit sad, remembering how she had missed out on Anna's childhood because of her magic. Although she still could get nervous now and then, she wanted to give Joseff happy memories that she didn't get to make with Anna. Elsa brought Joseff even closer to her and tenderly kissed his face.

Just then, a knock came at Elsa's door. "Your Majesty?" someone outside called to her.

Elsa immediately recognized that the voice belonged to Kai. "Come in, Kai," she responded.

Kai did as he was told. "I'm sorry to bother you and Prince Joseff unexpectedly, my lady, but the council needs to speak with you right away."

"Right now?" Elsa asked unenthusiastically. "What is the problem? And is it so urgent that it has to be discussed today? I promised my sister and brother-in-law that I would look after Joseff today while they are out. I don't want to have them called back on their anniversary."

"I understand, your majesty, and I apologize for this. But since the king of the Southern Isles has sent yet another letter regarding the actions of Prince Hans three years ago, the council is worried that something serious could happen if we keep ignoring them. They want to discuss it with you since they believe you have the best decision over the safety of the kingdom as well as your family."

With Kay having said "family," Elsa gazed over to Joseff, who was now back on the floor, crawling around in the snow. Since the Great Thaw three years ago, Hans had been imprisoned in his kingdom until his brothers, especially the oldest, who was the ruler of their kingdom, decided on a more appropriate punishment. For now, Hans's brothers just wanted him to be locked up so he could spend time thinking about what he did to Arendelle's royal family was wrong. Several times, each prince tried to contact Elsa to apologize for Hans, but Elsa refused to answer them. She, Anna, and Kristoff all just wanted to never see Hans again.

But now that Joseff was here, Elsa realized how different things could be. Although Anna was proven to take care of herself, Elsa still felt protective of her over danger, and now she felt that Anna's own son was an even bigger priority. Even though she was his aunt, Elsa would do anything to protect Joseff from harm.

And if there was ever a chance that the Southern Isles could pose a threat to her and her entire family, for the sake of Anna and Joseff, Elsa knew she had to take action.

Elsa sighed. "Very well, Kai. I will be there shortly. In the meantime, would you please locate Olaf for me?"

"I will, your Majesty," Kai answered, bowing in respect to Elsa before he left the room.

A few minutes later, the happy-go-lucky snowman entered Elsa's room. "Hi, Elsa! Hi, Joseff!" he greeted with high enthusiasm.

"Hi, Olaf," Elsa replied.

"Kai said you wanted to see me. Did I do anything?" Olaf asked somewhat worriedly.

"Oh, no, no," Elsa chuckled. "Nothing at all. No, I sent for you because I have to attend an emergency meeting, and I wondered if you could look after Joseff for a bit, since Kristoff and Anna are out for the whole day."

"You can count on it." Olaf turned to Joseff and said in a baby-talk voice, "We're gonna have some much fun, aren't we, Joseff?"

"Now just stay with him in here, Olaf. Since he's crawling more, I don't want him wandering around the floor and into different rooms. I'm gonna lock the door, so don't leave until I return. But before I forget…" Elsa lifted her hands into the air, removing some of the snow from the room. "I don't want so much snow in here since I don't want to take the chance on Joseff getting sick." Elsa turned to her door, and before she left, she added, "Thanks again, Olaf."

Once Elsa had left, Olaf immediately turned his attention to Joseff, who in the past few months, had only seen and interacted with Olaf a few times, so he was a little unfamiliar with the live snowman.

But Olaf just gave the baby prince a big and wide smile. "Don't worry, Joseff. I can tell we're gonna become best friends! For starters, I like warm hugs, and I hope you do, too!" Knowing that Joseff couldn't move so much yet, Olaf sat down on the floor and waited to see what Joseff would do next. Before too long, Joseff crawled over to Olaf and cuddled into his chest. That prompted Olaf to give Joseff a hug as best as he could and snuggle into the little prince's face.

* * *

Hours later, Kristoff and Anna finally returned the castle. It was nearly dark by the time they arrived back, so they figured that Joseff might already be asleep, and that Elsa was ready to go to sleep after watching him all day.

When they got upstairs, they first stopped at Elsa's room, and what they saw surprised them very much! Elsa and Olaf were both stretched out across the floor, fast asleep, while Joseff was sitting upright, patting his hands in some snow.

"Looks like Elsa finally wanted to entertain Joseff with her magic," Kristoff whispered to Anna.

"And judging from what we see here, it seems that Elsa was exhausted first," Anna added. "Well, what do you say we put them all to bed? Do you think you can pick up Elsa and put her in her bed?"

"Hey, if I can carry you with no problem, then it's problem for me to carry Elsa," Kristoff answered assuringly.

So while Kristoff gently picked Elsa up from where she was lying, Anna picked up Joseff. Deciding not to disturb Olaf, she gave him a gentle pat on the head. After Kristoff set Elsa down in her bed, Anna brought the covers up to her sister.

Just then, Elsa began to stir and opened her eyes. Although she was still exhausted, she could make out Kristoff and Anna's faces easily. "Oh, you're back. Is Joseff there?"

Anna brought him forward, and Elsa exhaled in relief. "Good. He fell asleep when I did, but I figured he might have woken up, too."

"Joseff, do you want to thank your Auntie Elsa for taking care of you today?" Kristoff asked Joseff.

Anna brought her son over to her sister, who gently hugged the little prince. "You may not remember today, but it was one of the best days of my life." Elsa kissed Joseff and cuddled him closer. "I love you, my little prince."

While Elsa and Joseff shared their own act of embrace, Kristoff and Anna did, too. "Happy anniversary, Anna."

"Happy anniversary, Kristoff," Anna responded right before Kristoff tenderly kissed her and they wrapped their arms around each other for the umpteenth hug they shared that day.

* * *

**I know that nearly all chapters have Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa in particular showing a lot of affection towards Joseff. But I do it because I have a soft spot for showing that towards babies, especially because I have my own nephew, who is almost eighteen months old. Sadly, I hardly ever get to see him because my sister (his mother) is acting ridiculous and paranoid about not letting his other relatives see him. If I could see him a lot more, I would do a lot of the things with him that I have mentioned in my stories, even if it's just playing with him.**

**And as for the bit with the Southern Isles, I wanted to put something like that in here to give Elsa a reason to leave Joseff for a bit. Now that I think of it, I may just make a chapter of her going to visit the kingdom for a while to make sure no harm will come to her family, especially Joseff. Of course, Hans's punishment for what he did in the film is pure speculation, but I have doubts that his brothers would have him executed. I do think a few years of imprisonment would be good, but afterwards? Well, ideas could include him being banished forever from the Southern Isles or being disowned, but I wonder if there is a way to make sure he never comes near Arendelle again, since he would obviously never be allowed to come there again. If you have any thoughts, please share them with me. :)**


	18. Elsa's Decision

It had been one week since Kristoff and Anna had celebrated their second wedding anniversary. On that same day, Elsa had been called into a meeting with her council because they were concerned about how the princes of the Southern Isles had kept trying to contact her in order to settle things with Hans, even though it had been three years ago.

Elsa's only major cause for concern in taking further action was her family. She loved Anna and Joseff so much, and through her years of being apart from Anna showed that she would do anything to ensure Anna's safety. Now that Joseff was here, Elsa did not want to be apart from him as the only way to keep him safe. She wanted to make sure that no powerful figures, such as Hans or the Duke of Weselton, would come around and harm Joseff or anyone else in her family.

Elsa had only sent a few letters back to the Southern Isles or tried to ignore them completely after each of Hans's brothers tried to get back to her in apologizing or settling what he had done. But now Elsa decided to take matters into her own hands: in order to try and settle this once and for all, she decided to travel to the Southern Isles and meet with the oldest brother, who was now the king, and the eleven others.

By this time now, Elsa had not yet told Anna or Kristoff about her decision. In fact, even after her council meeting, she had been in debate about going at all. But she kept telling herself to do it for the benefit of her family, so that's what made Elsa stick to the decision to go.

Right now, Elsa was walking down the halls to Joseff's room, where her nephew was being played with his parents. She decided now was as any good as any time to tell them, especially because she had made plans to depart for the Southern Isles within the next week, and of course, she had to tell them before she left entirely.

As soon as she was right outside the door, Elsa knocked. "Come in, Elsa!" Anna called from inside.

So Elsa opened the door and walked into the room, where she saw Joseff sitting between Anna's legs while Kristoff playfully rolled a ball over to them, and Anna tried to help Joseff roll it back.

"Joseff?" Anna motioned to her son. "Look who came to see you!"

Joseff looked over and gave a big baby smile when he saw his Aunt Elsa, who smiled back. "Want to take him, Elsa?"

"Of course!" So Anna gently handed him to Elsa, who gently took him in her arms. Being not too far from her face, Joseff reached up to Elsa and gently pinched her nose between his fingers several times. But he was only being playful, so Elsa laughed it off, and so did Kristoff and Anna.

"Careful, Joseff," Kristoff said as he reached for Joseff's hand. "You don't want to accidentally hurt Aunt Elsa, do you?"

"Oh, I don't think he'll hurt me, Kristoff," Elsa replied. She gently cuddled Joseff's head on her shoulder as she gave him a hug. Holding him securely in her arms reminded her why she came into the room in the first place. After she brought Joseff back in front of her, Elsa said. "Anna, there is something I need to tell you and Kristoff."

"What is it, Elsa?" Kristoff asked, putting his arm around Anna's shoulder.

Elsa inhaled and exhaled nervously. "Well, last week, I had a meeting with the council. Since Hans tried to take over Arendelle three years ago, all twelve of his brothers had tried to contact me to apologize or to discuss what to do about what he had done. I replied to some letters while ignoring others. But the council is concerned about what their kingdom might do to Arendelle if we don't try to settle the matter once and for all. So after some careful thinking," she took a deep breath before finishing, "I've decided to travel to the Southern Isles to meet with the king and the other princes."

Anna was shocked, but before she could object, Kristoff asked, "Are you sure you want to do that, Elsa?"

"Yes," Elsa answered firmly. "I hope that Hans's brothers are not like him, but for the safety of Arendelle and for all three of you, I have to do this. I can't fathom the idea of all of you being in possible danger if no action is taken…especially Joseff." She looked at her nephew, who was still sitting in her lap with his fingers in his mouth. "That's largely why I decided to this…for him, and both of you."

Kristoff and Anna both smiled warmly before embraced Elsa. "We'll support whatever you want to do, Elsa," Kristoff stated.

"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Anna asked.

"I would love nothing more than your company, Anna, but I should do this alone. I don't know what will happen while I am away, and I want all of you to be here, together. Plus, I know you two don't know how to run a kingdom, but I need someone to be here for Arendelle. I'll make sure Kai, Gerda, and the other servants will be available to help you while I am away."

"How long will you be gone?" Kristoff asked.

"That I don't know just yet. It will take more than two weeks to get to and from the Southern Isles by ship, since it's down in Denmark. I really hope that it won't take long to settle this problem once I am there. Maybe a week or two, so probably…about four to six weeks?" Elsa trailed off as she answered uncertainly.

"Elsa, what if…you're lost at sea and you drown, like Mama and Papa did?"

"I had a feeling you were going to say that, Anna." Elsa took Anna's hands in her own as she continued, "But remember how my powers can help me. I will come back; this I promise."

"What about Joseff's first birthday?"

"Rest assured, Anna, even if I am coming from the ends of the earth, I will be back in time for Joseff's birthday. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

The following week, everything was all set. The ship bound for the Southern Isles was all ready and Elsa's luggage was all packed for her trip.

As the few soldiers and staff members who were accompanying Elsa walked aboard the ship, while Elsa was still on the dock, bidding her family one final goodbye.

Anna, who was holding Joseff in her arms, said somewhat sadly, "Do you have to go, Elsa?"

Elsa almost gasped. Those were the very last words she ever said to her parents before they left on the voyage, and never returned. _That must have been the look I was wearing when I asked them that,_ she thought while she looked at Anna's face. She put on a brave smile before she answered, "I will be back, Anna. I promise." Then she turned to Kristoff. "Take good care of her while I am gone, Kristoff."

"I will. I promise, Elsa."

After Anna and Kristoff gave Elsa one last hug, Elsa leaned down to look at Joseff. "Now you be a good little boy for your mama and papa, Joseff. Help them take care of our kingdom." She tenderly tapped his nose, which made him giggle. "I'll miss you, sweetie." As she leaned down further, he reached for her face, and she kissed his hand, then she kissed his forehead. She let him grasp her finger with his hand before she pulled away and walked towards the ship.

A few minutes later, the ship was untied from the dock and began to move out. Elsa was standing in a spot on the ship's deck in order to be able to see her family. Once the ship began to move, she waved to Kristoff, Anna, and Joseff (giving Joseff little cute waves) until they were finally out of sight.

The little family did the same until they could no longer see Elsa or the ship. Soon after it had disappeared, Anna placed Joseff up against her shoulder so he was turned away, and Kristoff put his arm around Anna's shoulder as the couple walked back to their castle home.


	19. Missing You

It had been more than three weeks since Elsa had departed Arendelle to travel to the Southern Isles. Anna had estimated that Elsa had gotten there only a few days ago, and soon it would be time for her to meet with the king and other princes of the Southern Isles and have a trial over Hans's actions.

During Elsa's absence, Arendelle was still running smoothly. The citizens were happy to know that their queen was doing all she could to keep them safe and prevent any kind of battle or war from happening with the Southern Isles. Although Anna and Kristoff had virtually no idea on how to take on the responsibility of running a kingdom, like Elsa had promised, Kai, Gerda, and the other servants were very helpful to the couple when they needed it. Luckily, they didn't have to deal with very large issues that left them even more clueless than they were.

At this time, it was evening, and Joseff was hanging out in his room with Olaf. Although Olaf was bigger than Joseff, he was in no way strong enough to pick Joseff up, especially with his stick arms. But he was just enjoying being with Joseff anyway. He never passed an opportunity to play with Joseff in one way or another, whether it was crawling with Joseff or even letting Joseff snuggle up against him. A few times, Joseff even tried to grab Olaf's nose, though Olaf had to remember that Kristoff and Anna said that if Joseff got it, he might try to chew on it, which could be dangerous for him, so Olaf couldn't let Joseff have it.

"Hey Joseff, why don't you try to stand up again? Maybe you could take a few steps, too." Olaf said out loud, thinking of what else the two friends could do before Joseff had to go to bed.

One week after Elsa had left, Joseff had surprised his parents one day when they came across him standing up in his crib! In these past ten months, every new milestone that Joseff exhibited as he grew just made his parents and aunt more excited. When he was discovered to be standing in his crib, everyone realized that he might be able to stand up on his own without any support soon.

"It's just a shame that she had to leave right before he did it. I know she would have been excited," Anna had said to Kristoff after they witnessed Joseff standing.

"I know," Kristoff replied. "But this is another breakthrough for him. In a few weeks, maybe even when she comes home, he might be able to stand up all on his own. That would definitely be a delighted surprise for her when she returns."

"That's true. She just doesn't want to be absent whenever something new happens with him. It's why she wants to be with him now as much as possible…even though she isn't right now, of course."

"Well, we'll just have to write down every single thing he does that she might want to know so we'll have a lot to tell her when she comes home."

"That's a good idea. Besides us, I'm sure she misses him like crazy. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and maybe that's true."

So the couple did just that. They did have a book in which they had written down all of the milestones that Joseff exhibited over the past months, and they let Elsa read it, too. But since Elsa was away, Kristoff and Anna decided to write some more meticulous details about whatever particular thing Joseff did, such as whatever made him laugh or smile.

Back in the present, Anna and Kristoff walked into the nursery to finally put Joseff to bed. When they saw him cuddling up to Olaf, they smiled. "Having fun with your buddy Olaf, sweetie?" Anna asked.

"We are having a ball," Olaf answered cheerfully. But then Joseff let out a little yawn, prompting Anna to say, "Okay, it's time for you to go to bed, young man."

Kristoff picked him up from the floor and gently placed him in his crib, on his back. But in a matter of seconds, Joseff was now standing in the crib, using the bar for support. His parents laughed and smiled at each other.

"Stubborn little guy, isn't he?" Anna asked.

"He takes after you in that way," Kristoff teased.

"To be fair, he takes after both of us in different ways. But I think stubbornness comes from both of us…though maybe more from you." She playfully nudged and winked at her husband.

Before the couple turned away to leave, Olaf cleared his throat. "Anna, aren't you forgetting?"

"Oh, sorry!" Anna exclaimed. She picked Olaf up and put him in the crib with Joseff, whose face lit up and he sat down once Olaf was with him.

The first few nights after Elsa left, Joseff seemed to have sensed that she was not around since she wasn't with his parents when they put him to bed. He appeared to grasp that she was an important person in his life and he saw her everyday, especially at his bedtime. But since he hadn't seen her the first few nights, it took him a while before he finally went to sleep. Kristoff and Anna had noticed this, for whenever they checked on him during the nights, he was almost always still awake!

However, Olaf began spending more time with Joseff every day, and that seemed to make Joseff feel better. Olaf even slept in the room with Joseff at night, sometimes in the crib, and with Olaf there, Joseff was sleeping more again. Kristoff and Anna speculated that since Olaf was a part of Elsa, in her absence, spending more time with him (Olaf) is what made Joseff seem less disappointed that his aunt was not there. But for whatever the reason, the couple was grateful to have Olaf be a great friend to their little boy.

With Olaf there to keep him company, Joseff fell asleep within minutes after his parents wished him good night.

* * *

Meanwhile, it just so happened that in the Southern Isles, at the same moment that Joseff was going to sleep in Arendelle, his Aunt Elsa was sitting on the bed in the room that was given to her during her stay in the kingdom.

Elsa had arrived in the Southern Isles a few days ago and had a private meeting with the king in person. From the moment she first met him, King Anders seemed and acted like an ideal king. Elsa was sure to be polite and courteous to him, but she remembered how Hans seemed like a noble prince himself when she first met him. She didn't want to judge Anders without getting to know him first, but she still didn't want to let her guard down about trusting him or any of the other princes. She had also met the next three older princes Thomas, Soren, and Edvin.

Hans was still in the palace dungeons, where he had remained for the past three years because his brothers thought that time in prison was what he needed to have as a fair punishment for the time being. Due to there being twelve others, jail time for Hans was the only sentence on which they could agree for him. When Hans was brought back to the kingdom, his brothers were so angry with him that when they locked him up, they made sure he couldn't easily escape from his cell, and there were guards keeping an eye on him all the time for extra security.

Now that Elsa was here, a trial deciding on Hans's final fate was scheduled to take place in a couple of days. Elsa felt beyond scared to see Hans again, not to mention scared to be in a country she had never visited, and all alone. She was wishing that her family was there to stand by her and help her. But for his own safety, she knew Joseff couldn't be there, and just like he seemed to miss her, she missed him in return. Elsa hated being so far away from Joseff (and Anna, of course). She went to bed each night, thinking about him, and wondered if he had done anything new yet.

Yet as scared as she was, Elsa knew she had to go through with this trial. It was too late to turn back now. At least she could look forward to seeing her family when she returned home. She was here for them, and she did not want to give up on them.

Elsa spent several hours lying awake in her bed, thinking about what would soon happen. But thoughts of her family gave her a boost of confidence, especially when she thought of Joseff's cute little face. Keeping these thoughts in her mind, Elsa felt more relaxed by the time she finally fell asleep.


	20. Home Is Where the Heart Is

"Look! There's her ship now!" Anna cried while pointing to a ship in the distance that was now coming into her view. She was in her room with Kristoff, Joseff, and Olaf and saw the ship from her window.

"Hooray! Elsa is home!" Olaf exclaimed and jumped up in joy.

"Hear that, Joe?" Kristoff asked his son, who was sitting up on the floor and playing with some toys. "Your Auntie Elsa is home!"

"Let's go and greet her at the docks!" Olaf cried and ran out of the room.

"We're coming, Olaf," Anna laughed. She motioned to Kristoff to pick up Joseff, then all three of them followed Olaf out of the room.

* * *

On her ship, Elsa was out on the deck, looking ahead at her kingdom that was coming into view better every time she came closer. She was feeling exhausted from the long journey back home overseas and was looking forward to some much needed rest and relaxation. But she also knew that Anna would swarm her with hugs and chatter once she (Elsa) finally stepped off the ship, and especially tell her anything new Joseff had done in the last month and a half.

Pretty soon, she could make out figures that looked like her family on the deck, so she eagerly waved to them, even though she felt they could not see her too well and vice versa. But it wasn't too long before the ship finally pulled into port.

Once it docked, the solders and crew members began to unload the luggage and take it with them as they walked off the ship. But they were unprepared and nearly fell off the ramp when Anna eagerly ran up it! As soon as Elsa came into her proximity, Anna threw her arms around her big sister and they both fell over!

"Oh!" Elsa cried once they fell. But Anna was too busy hugging Elsa to feel any pain. "Well, I can see someone missed me a lot," she said with a smile.

"Elsa, I missed you SO much!" Anna exclaimed. "More than I ever have during times that we were apart!"

Anna was hugging Elsa tight enough that the latter was feeling a lack of oxygen. Through the tightness, she said, "Well, can you let go of me for a moment? I need to breathe."

"Oops, sorry," Anna apologized, and she helped her sister stand up. Once they were both standing, Anna threw her arms around Elsa again, this time more gently. "I'm just so happy you're home."

"It's good to be back home," Elsa said as she returned the hug. "I missed you, too, Anna."

"I'm not the only one. Joseff really missed you, too. In fact, for the first few days after you left, he would not go to sleep for many hours after we put him to bed."

"He wouldn't?" Elsa asked curiously.

"No. I think you're a person he has come to recognize in his life, besides Kristoff and me. I mean, you're always with us whenever we put him to bed at night, and I think he sensed that you were missing. So yes, I think he missed you."

"Well, how did you manage over the weeks?"

"We decided to have Olaf spend some more time with him, and it seemed to work. Olaf occasionally kept him company at night, and then he'd eventually fall asleep." Anna shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but you made Olaf, so maybe he reminds Joseff of you, and that's why he got better."

Elsa smiled happily. "Well, I'm just happy to hear that I was missed. Did he do anything new as well?"

"Oh, yes, I can tell you all about them…but why don't we go see him and Kristoff now?"

So the sisters walked off the ship, down the ramp, and onto the docks, where the rest of Elsa's family was waiting. While they held hands, Anna stated, "Joseff, look who's finally home." She brought Elsa forward, and Joseff smiled widely and held his arms out.

Elsa walked over and hugged Kristoff. Then she turned to Joseff. "Oh, I missed you, too, sweetie!" She kissed his forehead, and he reached one of his hands up to gently pinch her nose between his fingers.

Anna linked one of her arms with one of Elsa's. "Come on! Let's get inside the palace and you can tell us all about your trip!"

While the family walked away from the docks and through the village square, Kristoff asked, "Did Anna tell you yet?"

"No. What did Joseff learn to do?"

"Well," Anna began, "shortly after you left, we found him, at one point, standing up in his crib!"

Elsa gasped excitedly. Turning to Joseff, she asked, "You learned to stand in your crib?" Joseff let out a baby giggle in response.

Kristoff continued, "And just a few days ago, he learned to stand up all on his own."

"You did?" Elsa said with a huge grin. "Oh, that's wonderful, honey!"

"Do you want us to show you when we get inside?" Anna asked.

"You didn't even have to ask, Anna! Of course I want to see him stand up!"

* * *

Less than a half hour later, the family was settled in Joseff's nursery. Kristoff had been holding Joseff in his arms when he finally looked over to his son and said, "Joe, why don't you be a big boy and show Auntie Elsa how you can stand up on your own?"

With Anna right beside him, Kristoff gently placed Joseff on the floor while helping to support him as he stood. Both parents stood right by their son, as they were worried that he still could fall, since he couldn't stand his own for _too_ long just yet.

But he did just fine in the few seconds of standing on his own, and Elsa couldn't have felt more proud. She picked him up from the floor and held him in her arms. "Oh, sweetie, that's just wonderful! You're getting to be more of a big boy every day! Now it shouldn't be too long before you start to walk!"

Elsa adjusted Joseff in her arms and continued to hold him close to her. "Your mommy and daddy said you really missed me. Well, I really missed you, too." As she made a kissing face, Joseff "reciprocated" it by opening his mouth and pretending to bite her between her lips and nose! This was hilarious enough to make everyone laugh, including Joseff.

"You know something, honey?" Elsa looked her nephew right in the eye. "I love you."

Elsa kissed Joseff on the nose, which made him giggle, then he squished her cheeks in between his tiny hands. Anna and Kristoff embraced each other in their affectionate way as they watched.

Elsa knew that home was where the heart is supposed to be, and in her palace home in Arendelle, her family was that heart for her…and she was so happy to be back with them.


	21. First Steps

In the last couple of weeks since Elsa had returned home, Joseff was standing up on his own a little longer every day. It was now only a few weeks before Joseff was going to have his first birthday on November 9th, and his entire family thought he would be able to start walking, even with just a few steps, very soon.

Kristoff was not working as much as he did during the summer months, so he was home more with Anna and Joseff. Almost every day, for nearly the past year, he and Anna would look after Joseff and do everything for him together, from feeding him to changing him to playing with him.

But today was different. Today, and even for the past few days, Kristoff was taking complete care of Joseff and doing everything for him. Anna was very surprised at his offer, but he said he wanted to do it for her sake, so she could take more time to sleep as long as she wanted in the mornings and to spend more quality time with Elsa, including getting out of the palace for a while.

Anna was a little bit skeptical that Kristoff take care of Joseff on his own with little to no help from her, but he insisted. He really wanted to do some bonding with Joseff, just the two of them, and he thought Anna deserved some time of bonding herself with Elsa.

"Well, that's very sweet of you, Kristoff," Anna had said when she finally agreed.

"My pleasure, Anna," Kristoff had responded, taking her in his embrace. "And when the week is up, we can share stories about what each of us did when we were apart."

"Sounds good to me," Anna agreed, then they shared a kiss.

So that conversation had taken place a couple of days ago. Since then, Kristoff was spending much of his time with Joseff and Sven, while Anna was spending much of her time with Elsa and Olaf. One thing that Kristoff was doing so much with Joseff was helping (and encouraging) him to learn to walk. For hours each day (when Joseff wasn't napping), Kristoff helped Joseff to stand up for longer amounts of time, though in little by little steps.

He wanted to do all he could to help and encourage Joseff learn to take his first few steps, and if and when he did, Kristoff would then surprise Anna and Elsa when Joseff could do a fair, small amount of walking.

Right now, the father and son were hanging out together in the palace gardens. Kristoff had decided to try a tactic in getting Joseff to walk, even at just a very small distance, with Joseff holding on to his fingers. Since he first learned to stand up in his crib, Joseff had gotten much better at standing up without any support, so Kristoff thought now was about the right time he could take a couple of steps, though with some help.

While he sat down, Kristoff gently placed Joseff on the grass, making sure he was touching it with his feet so he could help him get used to the idea of standing rather than sitting. Then, while facing his son, he gently took Joseff's little hands in his big ones and looked him in the eye.

"Okay, Joe. I realize it may be a while before you can walk on your own without any help from me or your mama. But Mommy and Aunt Elsa would still be thrilled to see you do something new, so why don't we work together in helping you learn to take a few steps with some help?"

Joseff smiled widely, which made Kristoff grin. "Ahhh, that's my boy!" He gave Joseff a big kiss. "Come on, then, let's get started!"

When the day was over, Joseff had barely managed to take two steps forward before he almost fell, even with Kristoff's help. But despite that, Kristoff still felt a level of pride for Joseff. And for the next several days, Kristoff continued to work with Joseff in helping him with walking.

Even when the time that Kristoff had offered to watch Joseff for a week was over, Kristoff managed to work out spending amounts of time with Joseff (just the two of them) in order to help him stay on track and taking a few steps each and every day.

When that first week was over, Anna had come to Kristoff and said, "So, what big things have you and Joseff done all week?"

Not wanting to reveal it yet, and because he wanted some more time, Kristoff answered, "Something big…but it's a surprise, and it's not ready yet."

"Will it be ready soon?"

"I hope. Just…give me another week, okay?"

"Okay."

Kristoff didn't want to take too long in surprising Anna and Elsa, but he also knew that he couldn't make Joseff hurry up with walking. Throughout the following week, Kristoff was very calm and patient with his son, and he was very pleased when Joseff had managed to walk a total of ten steps when the week was finished.

"Well, son, you have managed to walk ten steps at most with help in the past almost two weeks, so you are good to go in showing Mommy and Auntie Elsa this brand new step. Are you ready?"

Joseff clapped his hands together, which made Kristoff laugh. "Okay, then, let's go!" At the moment, they were together in the nursery, and Kristoff picked Joseff up from the floor and adjusted him in his arms.

* * *

Anna and Elsa were talking in Elsa's room, along with Olaf, when Kristoff and Joseff entered. "Hey Anna? That surprise I had for you?"

"Yeah?"

"It's finally ready."

"Great! What is it?"

"It's Joseff," Kristoff answered, holding Joseff forward. "He can walk?"

"Joseff can walk?" Olaf asked excitedly.

"Yes. Well, he can walk a little bit, and with help. I've been working with him for the last two weeks to help him. I'm sure you would have wanted me to tell you when he could take a couple of steps, but I wanted to help him try do as much walking as he could and then surprise you when he could."

"Oh, I understand, Kristoff. It is more exciting when you see a baby taking some steps rather than just one."

"Will you show him doing it?" Elsa asked.

"Of course, that's why we came in here," Kristoff replied. As Anna, Elsa, and Olaf gathered together on the floor, Kristoff settled himself, too. He had positioned himself so that everyone would be looking at him and Joseff from their sides. In doing so, it would be easier for them to see Joseff walking as Kristoff stood in front of him to give him the support.

Kristoff gently set Joseff on his feet on the floor. When Joseff was positioned so he could stand up without easily falling, Kristoff carefully took both of Joseff's hands. "Okay, Joseff," he whispered. "Let's show them what you can do."

A few seconds later, while looking into his father's eyes, the little prince took two noticeable steps forward. Having been watching eagerly, Elsa and Anna gasped with delight, while Olaf let out a giggle while he clapped his hands. Hearing what sounded like encouragement to him, Joseff managed to take eight more steps with Kristoff's help before he started to fall down, though Kristoff caught him in time.

"Oh, honey, that was absolutely wonderful!" Anna squealed with delight. She took Joseff in her arms and eagerly kissed his face.

"We're so proud of you, sweetie," Elsa agreed, and kissed Joseff, too, after Anna gave him to her. "Maybe by the time of your birthday, you'll be able to do some more walking, and on your own."

"It also won't be too long before he starts talking, too," Anna stated. "I wonder if he'll say 'mama' or 'dada' first." Then something occurred to her. "Hey Elsa? You and Olaf both have two syllables in your names. Maybe they could be among Joseff's first words, too."

"Maybe. We'll just wait and see," Elsa said before she and everyone else proceeded to tickle Joseff.


	22. Baby, It's Your Birthday

Today was November 9th, and it was the very first birthday of Joseff, the little prince of Arendelle, son of Princess Anna and Kristoff Bjorgman, and nephew of the kingdom's ruler, Queen Elsa.

Much like his first baptism, everyone in the entire kingdom was invited to attend the birthday party that the royal family was preparing to hold for Joseff. No guests from neighboring kingdoms would come, because everyone thought the occasion made sense just to invite those in Arendelle.

The party was scheduled to begin at noon, and right now it was less than half an hour until that time. Anna was feeling more excited as each minute passed, eager for the party to begin. Even at this time, people were beginning to crowd outside, gathering in the palace courtyard, waiting for the castle doors to be opened so they could finally come inside.

Besides this party, the family was planning to visit the trolls in the evening, after the party had ended. Although Kristoff had stopped by to see them if he stayed overnight during the summer, neither Anna, Elsa, nor Joseff had seen them for a while, so they thought celebrating Joseff's birthday was the perfect time for a family reunion.

Right now, Anna and Kristoff were in their room getting dressed for the party. As Kristoff finished and began to dress Joseff, Anna glanced down through their window. "Oh, wow! There sure is a big crowd of people gathering inside the courtyard right now!"

"Look, Anna," Kristoff began, "I know you love these parties and other get-togethers, but did we really have to invite the entire kingdom to Joseff's birthday party? I mean, he's only one, and it's not like he's going to remember everyone who came or what happened on this day. Why couldn't the party just include us, Elsa, and the staff?"

"Kristoff, I know you still don't like being around a lot of people, but don't you think it would be rude if we went ahead and had this party and not invite the people in Arendelle? I mean, since he's a prince, his birthday is a great occasion, and our citizens would hate to not be able to help us celebrate it. And besides, it's not like we make a big fuss and announce to them every single time Joseff does something brand new."

Kristoff sighed in a defeated manner. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

Anna walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Look, if you want me to help you think positively about this, just imagine all the food that is going to be there and what kind of gifts everyone will have for Joseff…especially since we didn't have to buy them." She said the last words with a small mischievous smile.

"Ha!" Kristoff exclaimed, widening his eyes. "I didn't think about it that way!"

"See? You feeling better now?"

"Mmmm…a little. But I think I'll feel much better when the party's all over." Kristoff gave Anna a wink, then they kissed.

Just then, Elsa walked into the room. "Are you all just about ready? We should go ahead downstairs and be ready for when people start coming into the castle."

"All ready," Anna answered.

Elsa turned her attention to Joseff, who was all dressed and sitting up on his changing table. "Oh, look at you, Joseff! You're such a big boy now for a one year old!"

"Hey, Joe, why don't you walk some for Auntie Elsa?" Kristoff suggested.

"Yes! Show how much more you can walk, sweetie!" Elsa said as she kneeled down on the floor.

Kristoff picked Joseff up and set him on the floor. As Elsa held her arms out for him, Joseff walked towards her. Sure enough, by now, he was walking at a faster pace. He didn't hesitate or fall down at all.

By the time he was in Elsa's proximity, she picked him up and gave him a hug. "That's marvelous, Joseff, just marvelous! Wait until Bulda and Cliff see what you can do!"

"Oooh, that's right!" Anna spoke up. "When we go see the trolls tonight, he'll be able to put on quite a show for them."

"Too bad he hasn't learned to speak yet," Kristoff commented. "When he learns to say even a couple of words, we _have_ to visit them. I know Mom and Dad would get all excited to hear him say 'mama' and 'dada' for me and Anna."

"Well, for now, I think they'll all be amazed at how big he's grown in this whole year," Elsa said as she gave Joseff another hug. "Let's go ahead downstairs now and wait in the ballroom…and maybe check out the food that the chefs made." She gave Kristoff and Anna a mischievous wink upon saying the last sentence.

"Oooh, I wonder what kinds of chocolate I can stuff into my face this time!" Anna exclaimed eagerly.

"You mean besides the cake and ice cream?" Kristoff asked, giving Anna a small smirk.

"Ha, ha," Anna gave a mock laugh before she lightly punched Kristoff on his arm.

Seeing their playful bickering, Elsa said, "Why don't I carry Joseff downstairs so you two lovebirds can be alone together?" She gave them another wink before she walked out of the room. Once she left, Kristoff grabbed Anna around her waist, then lifted her up and twirled her a few times.

* * *

Within the first hour of the party, everything was going well. The guests were all having a wonderful time eating, drinking, and dancing, and they were especially delighted to see Joseff and how much he could walk at his age.

Not too long after the party had started, the royal family had opened all of Joseff's presents. Most of them were items that Joseff wouldn't be able to use until he was older, but many of the citizens did that with attention; they wanted Joseff to have gifs that he could cherish later in his life.

Nearly all of the gifts consisted of a variety of clothes and toys, the latter of which included a set of building blocks, a top, a Jack-in-the-box, a rocking horse, a wagon, a kaleidoscope, and a couple of snow globes and music boxes. One present that particularly caught the attention of Kristoff was a lute. The man who had presented it approached Kristoff and explained, "I have seen you play the lute before, Sir Kristoff, and I just thought maybe your son would like to try it someday as well."

"Well, thank you," Kristoff said to the man. "That was nice of you to think of that. I will try and help Joseff put it to use when he is older."

Shortly after all of his gifts were unwrapped, Elsa announced to everyone, "On behalf of my nephew, Kristoff, Anna, and I would like to thank you all for your wonderful gifts!" She turned to her family, who was standing right next to her. "And now that that has been done, we would like to proceed to cutting and eating Prince Joseff's birthday cake."

Like the cake on Kristoff and Anna's wedding day, the cake for Joseff had eight layers, was of mixed chocolate and vanilla, and had vanilla icing. There was also a single candle on the very top layer. Although they thought it might be a little difficult, Kristoff and Anna wanted to make an effort to have the candle lit and Joseff blow it out himself.

After everyone had gathered at the table that held the cake, the family started singing, "Happy birthday to you," and by the next line, everyone joined in with, "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday, Prince Joseff, happy birthday to you!", then they all cheered and clapped.

Kristoff held Joseff in his arms as he stood on a ladder and tenderly held his son over the cake in an attempt to blow out the lit candle. "Come on, son," he gently urged. "Blow it out," then he mimicked a blowing action.

Joseff attempted to imitate his father, and after a couple of puffs, he finally blew out the candle! Everyone cheered again, then Kristoff stepped off the ladder to rejoin Elsa and Anna just as the cake was being cut into pieces.

* * *

The party continued up until around the dinner hour. By this time, Joseff was fast asleep, and actually had been for a couple of hours. Everyone thought it was perfect that he was sleeping now, because they thought there was a chance he could be awake at some point when they went to visit the trolls.

When it was 10:30, the whole family (including Olaf) set off to the mountains in Kristoff's sled. Joseff was still sound asleep, and he was bundled up well in order to stay warm during the ride.

It was well after midnight when they finally reached the Valley of the Living Rock. Joseff was starting to wake up, and luckily, he wasn't crying or making a very big fuss. Anna continued to hold him as they all approached the center of the valley where the rocks that were obviously the trolls were sitting.

Kristoff walked over and called out to them. "Hey, guys! We're all here, and we brought Joseff, so you could see him today, since it's his birthday!" Then he motioned to Anna and everyone else to come join him.

Soon afterwards, the rocks began to move towards them and unveiled the true forms of the trolls. As almost always, Pabbie, Cliff, and Bulda were those closest to the visitors.

"Kristoff and Anna are home!" Bulda exclaimed happily.

The trolls followed suit in saying the same words, then did so again when Bulda added, "And they brought little Joseff!"

The family kneeled down to meet the level of the trolls, and Anna held Joseff out so everyone could get a good look at him. She set him on the ground in a sitting position as Bulda approached him. Bulda took one of Joseff's little hands and patted it, and Joseff reached towards her. "I hear that a little cutie just celebrated his first birthday today," she said. Then Bulda turned towards the rest of the trolls. "I think this calls for a song of celebration!"

"Yeah!" all of the trolls exclaimed happily. Then they all started to sing, "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Joseff! Happy birthday to you!" Everyone cheered and applauded afterwards, which made Joseff grin as widely as he could.

Cliff joined Bulda in being close proximity with Joseff. He gently put his arm around Joseff's shoulder. "No doubt about it, Bulda, our grandson is a real cutie."

While the proud troll grandparents fussed over their little grandson, a few other trolls came closer to the family to get a look at Joseff, and said different things amongst themselves. One female troll said, "Look how big he's gotten in his first year."

"He's just about my size!" a little baby troll said.

"Has he learned to talk yet?" a male troll asked.

"No, not yet, but we're hoping he will soon," Anna answered. "But maybe you would all like to see him walk."

"Yes! Let's see Joseff walk!" the trolls all cried.

Anna helped Joseff up on his feet and set him a short distance away from Bulda and Cliff. As he started walking towards them, Bulda held her arms out for him while she and Cliff both said, "Come on, Joseff! Come to Grandma Bulda and Grandpa Cliff."

All of the trolls were in awe as they watched Joseff walk so well. By the time he had approached them, Bulda pulled him into a hug, and the trolls all cheered.

"Way to go, Joe!" Cliff exclaimed, gently ruffling his hair.

"Be sure to come back and visit when he starts to talk!" Bulda said. "We want him to be able to learn our names as well."

"We'll definitely do that," Anna responded.

For the next couple of hours, Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff spent time talking and catching up with the trolls. Soon after Joseff fell asleep again, they headed back to Arendelle. They all agreed that today had been a happy birthday for Joseff, indeed.


	23. A Christmas Wish

Before too long, following Prince Joseff's first birthday, Christmastime had arrived in the kingdom of Arendelle. Even though Joseff had been born shortly before Christmas the previous year, Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa thought that they could make more memories with Joseff during this Christmas, since he was a year old now.

Since his birthday, Joseff's ability to walk had improved even further, and he could even run a little bit. Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa all thought that seeing Joseff improve at one of his new milestones was the best gift they could receive during a time like Christmas…though at this point, they all also wanted to hear him start to talk. Anna and Kristoff had been encouraging him to say "mama" or "dada" lately, but all Joseff did was babble.

But on Christmas day, even though it wasn't _exactly_ what they had hoped for, their latest wish finally came true.

* * *

On Christmas morning, while the royal family was still sleeping, Olaf the snowman was the first one to wake up. Having been sleeping in the nursery with Joseff, almost immediately after he awoke, he walked over to the window, thinking he saw something outside. When he realized he did, he gasped excitedly. "Joseff! Joseff!" he exclaimed, though not too loudly so as not to scare him. "It's Christmas morning!"

Joseff began to stir and yawn. When he opened his eyes, he did not cry, but smiled widely at Olaf, who said back to him, "And look outside, Joseff! It's snowing!"

Joseff looked towards the direction in which Olaf pointed, and saw fresh flakes of snow falling in the sky. While they both looked at the window, Olaf heard a sound behind him, one that sounded like "snow."

His eyes raised, Olaf turned towards the direction where the word had come from, which sounded like…Joseff had spoken?

"Di-did you just…talk?" Olaf asked in surprise.

"S-s-s…no," Joseff said, which obviously sounded like "snow" again.

Olaf gasped, lifting his head up in his hands. "You-you-you spoke, Joseff! You said 'snow'!"

"S-s-s…no," Joseff said again.

Olaf began to move and gasp with excitement. "You talked! You said your first word! I gotta tell Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff! They'll be so surprised!"

So Olaf ran out of the nursery and straight to Elsa's room. When he got inside, he saw Elsa sound asleep. He hated to wake her up, but he was too excited to stay quiet. "Elsa! Elsa!" he cried.

"Mmmm…" Elsa moaned. Then she groggily opened her eyes. "Olaf?" she asked. "What is it?" Then it hit her. "Oh, you're excited because it's Christmas morning."

"Well, yes, but it's more than that. Elsa, Joseff said his first word!"

That immediately got Elsa's attention. "Are you serious, Olaf?"

"Yes! There's new snow falling outside, and we saw it through his window, and he said what sounded like 'snow'."

Elsa sat up, then walked out of her bed. "I must see this for myself." She and Olaf walked out of the room and into the nursery. When they got there, they found Joseff standing up in his crib, smiling widely.

Elsa smiled widely upon seeing her nephew. "Merry Christmas, Joseff!" She walked over to him and kissed him once she pulled him out of his crib and held him in her arms. "Olaf just said you spoke your first word. Will you say it to me?"

Noticing the snow outside the window, Elsa carried Joseff over to it to look outside, while Olaf followed. She pointed to the snow. "See, sweetie? That's snow! Snow is something that often comes during winter, especially Christmas. Can you say 'snow' for me, honey?"

Joseff looked at the snow outside with his aunt, and as if he understood her, shortly afterwards, he said, "S-s-s…no" once again.

Elsa gasped happily. "You did it! You talked! You said 'snow,' sweetheart!" Then she proceeded to give him kisses, which made him giggle. "Oh, hearing you talk is a terrific Christmas gift for me!" Then she realized, "And it will be for your mama and papa! Why don't we surprise them with it now?"

Still carrying Joseff, Elsa, along with Olaf, quietly walked into Kristoff and Anna's room. Standing at the foot of the bed, no one made a sound or said anything…until Joseff said, "S-s-s-s…no."

"Mmmm…what?" Kristoff mumbled incoherently.

"S-s-s-no," Joseff said again.

Keeping his eyes closed, Kristoff muttered, "You say something, Anna?"

"No," Anna mumbled without opening her eyes.

"Snow," Joseff said, in just one syllable this time.

That got the attention of both of his parents. They opened their eyes and turned towards each other. "Was that…Joseff?" Kristoff asked confusedly.

Neither had noticed Elsa there until she said, "It sure was." When they looked at her, she grinned. "Merry Christmas, you two. In case you wondered, yes, Joseff learned to talk."

Anna leaned her head forward, as if she couldn't believe what she was just told. "He did?" Elsa nodded, and Anna turned to Joseff. "You talked, sweetie?"

Elsa gently set Joseff on the bed, and he crawled over to his parents. Anna scooped him up into her arms. "Can you talk now for Mommy and Daddy, honey?"

When Joseff said nothing right away, they all wondered if he was going to talk again or not, especially because he was being asked to do it in front of others, like when he first began to crawl. But it wasn't too long before Joseff let out his spoken word again. "Snow."

Immediately after he spoke, everyone in the room let out a cheer. "Yes! That's my boy!" Kristoff exclaimed.

"I knew you could do it, honey," Anna said as she kissed Joseff. "It's not 'mama' or 'dada,' but hearing Joseff say something for the first time is a terrific Christmas present!"

"It certainly is," Elsa said while gently ruffling Joseff's hair.

Just then, Anna noticed the snow that was still falling outside. Gasping, she climbed out of her bed. "Look, guys! New snow, and just perfect for Christmas."

Everyone followed Anna to look outside. Anna nudged Elsa. "Can we go outside and play in it, Elsa?"

Elsa smiled, unable to resist Anna. "Yes, Anna…after we eat breakfast and open our gifts, we can go spend time outside before we have the Christmas party tonight."

"You think Joseff can come out and play, too?" Olaf asked.

"I think so, since he's older now," Kristoff answered. "But just to be safe, we should dress him up very warmly, and we probably shouldn't keep him outside for too long."

"Right," Anna said. "We still don't wanna take a chance on him getting sick if he's out in the cold too long."

After a brief moment of silence, Elsa said, "Well, everyone, now that we're all awake, shall we go have breakfast and open our presents?"

"You bet!" Anna exclaimed.

"I'm in," Kristoff replied.

"Count me in, too!" Olaf cried.

"All right, then let's go," Elsa said, leading them out of the room before they all headed downstairs.

* * *

By the time night had come, and the Christmas party was long finished, everyone was ready to go to bed. But just after Anna, Kristoff, Elsa, and Olaf had put Joseff into his crib, they were extremely surprised to hear a new sound. In fact, when they listened closely, it sound just like…

"Oh…la"

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise and they were at a loss for words. But only Olaf managed to say, "Did…did Joseff just say…?"

"Oh…la."

"Ha!" Olaf cried happily. "He said my name! Joseff said my name!" He began jumping up and down with excitement.

Kristoff and Elsa laughed in shock, while Anna, who did the same thing, went up to Joseff and gave him a little hug. "Great job, sweetie! Your first two words, and all in the same day!"

Kristoff walked over and ruffled Joseff's hair. "Way to go, son!"

"This is the best Christmas present we could ever get from Joseff!" Elsa said as she gave Joseff a hug, too.

"Absolutely!" Olaf cried. Since he was on the floor, he had to look up at everyone else. "Can I give him a hug, guys?"

"Of course, Olaf," Anna answered. She picked Olaf up and settled him in the crib with Joseff.

"How about I give you a nice, warm hug, Joseff?" Olaf asked.

"Oh…la," Joseff said while he looked at Olaf.

"I'll take that as a yes," Olaf said with a giggle. He did his best to wrap his twig arms around Joseff, who had no problem wrapping his own arms around Olaf.

"You wanna stay with him tonight, Olaf?" Kristoff asked.

"Sure," Olaf answered eagerly.

"Well, we should all be getting to bed," Anna said. "Merry Christmas, Olaf." Then she turned to Joseff. "And Merry Christmas, sweetie! I love you!"

"Merry Christmas, Olaf. You two, Joseff," Elsa said.

"Good night, Olaf. And Merry Christmas, Joseff," Kristoff said.

"Merry Christmas, guys," Olaf said just before they all left the room. Then he turned to his little playmate. "And Merry Christmas to you, Joseff." He attempted to hug Joseff again, and Joseff returned it.

* * *

**What better gift during this time of year than for the family to hear Joseff say his first words? :)**

**Merry Christmas, everybody! :D**


End file.
